Arrival Overdue
by PattiL61
Summary: Chapters 20 - 22 are up 3/29/03. STORY COMPLETE. PLEASE R&R. Happily Ever After...
1. Chapter 1

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 1  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Where's Bosco, Lieu?" Faith asked as she rushed in from the locker room. She'd missed roll call and was hoping that her cheerful disposition might help him forget that fact.  
  
"You're late, Yokas," he stated simply and then waited for an explanation.  
  
"I know, Lieu. I'm sorry. Fred got stuck on the train and didn't get home in time. I have a back up plan for the future if it ever happens again," she explained, hoping that she could avoid any further disciplinary action.  
  
"Alright. See that it doesn't happen again," he replied. "Boscorelli volunteered for some overtime and is transporting a prisoner down from Upstate," he reported to her.  
  
"By himself?" she asked, knowing that usually that type of assignment was handled by two officers.  
  
"No. Tom Hogan from the Detectives Office went with him. It's one of their collars anyway. You're with me until he gets back," he said looking at his watch. "You can show me the wonders of the streets again," he said jovially. "We're serving warrants this evening."  
  
"Yes, Sir," she said, noticing the comical looks she was getting from Sullivan and Davis at the fact that she had to drive the Boss around.  
  
"Davis, Sullivan. Aren't you supposed to be out on patrol," the Lieutenant said as if he had eyes in the back of his head.  
  
"Yes, Sir," replied Sully. "On our way, Sir."  
  
"Uh huh," Swersky replied. "Let's go, Yokas," he said as Faith returned after signing out her radio.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco, Hogan and their prisoner were riding in silence on their return from Albany. They picked up a prisoner that was wanted in relation to a felony hit and run with fatalities from last week, stemming from a raid on a drug operation. The thoughts were that this guy was kind of high up in the chain of command of this particular drug operation. The perp was picked up in Albany on a routine traffic stop and when the officer there ran his name and license through the computer it came back with a hit and he was advised that the City would extradite. Thus ended Samuel Mason's flee from justice.  
  
Bosco looked at the prisoner sitting in the backseat of 55-David. Truth be told, Bosco didn't think this guy looked smart enough to be running a drug ring. He thought about what Faith would be saying when she found out he'd taken their unit with him. He knew that Faith wouldn't like the fact that she didn't have her usual unit for the night, but she wasn't the one driving all the way to Albany and back. He needed to have the car he was used to sitting in and driving.  
  
"Man, I drank too much coffee," he heard Hogan say. "You gotta pull off at the next rest stop so I can take a pee."  
  
"Hogan, you should've thought about that before you left home. Didn't your mother ever teach you that?" Bosco said, irritably. He just wanted to get back. It was getting dark and it was getting cold, despite the fact that spring had been around for about three weeks.  
  
"Hey, Man. I gotta take a piss too," came a voice from the back.  
  
"I don't believe anyone asked about your toilet habits," Bosco replied, giving Mason a dirty look via the rearview mirror.  
  
"C'mon, Man. Have a heart," Mason whined. Bosco just threw him another dirty look. It was bad enough that they'd had to wait for an hour to start back because Mason wanted to see his attorney first. And that attorney looked a little suspicious to Bosco.  
  
"Alright. I could use another cup of coffee anyway," Bosco said, looking over at Hogan and seeing the look of relief come across his face. He knew that Hogan was afraid of him. The Boss had just about said so when he told him to take it easy on the kid - that he was easily intimidated after hearing about Bosco's reputation. How the hell he'd made it to Detective by being intimidated was beyond Bosco's comprehension.  
  
The next rest area was soon upon them and Bosco pulled off the Thruway and parked next to the building in a restricted parking area.  
  
"You're gonna leave it here?" Hogan asked him.  
  
"Yeah," Bosco replied simply.  
  
"But it says 'no parking,'" he pointed out.  
  
"That means for the average person. Besides, I'm not parking my car where somebody pulls in and some kid has to pee so bad he opens the door right into the side of my RMP. Now, let's get this done and get back on the road," he said, a slight shiver running down his back as he stepped into the night air from the warm patrol car.  
  
He stood in line to get coffee while Hogan escorted the prisoner to the facilities. He gave Hogan a dirty look when he'd asked him to watch the prisoner while HE went in. "Whatever it takes to get the heck outta here," Bosco said, looking at his watch. "I should probably call the Lieutenant and let him know we got a late start back," he thought to himself. Then, he decided that by the time they were supposed to be back to the Precinct, they'd be back in radio range and he could advise them by the radio that they were detained.  
  
"You're kiddin' me, right?" Bosco said as Hogan told him he wanted to get another cup of coffee. "Well, I'm not stoppin' again," he warned him.  
  
"What about me? Aren't I supposed to get a meal?" Mason chimed in.  
  
"You gotta be kiddin' me," Bosco said rolling his eyes. He looked over at Hogan who was giving him a look like he didn't know if he should get the guy something to eat or no. "Well, I'm not buyin' it!" he announced.   
  
So, they ended up standing in line at the hamburger counter inside the rest area as little kids stared in wonder at the policeman with his handcuffed prisoner. One little girl tapped Bosco on the side of the leg. He looked down at her and had to admit that she was cute. And her mother was pretty cute too.  
  
"Mr. Policeman? Is that a bad man?" the little girl asked as her mother came up and took her hand. "Now, don't bother the Officer, Jordan," she said, looking at Bosco and uneasily taking in the handcuffed man beside him.  
  
"That's okay, Ma'am," Bosco said, not taking his hand off Mason's arm. And to the little girl he replied, "Yes, Jordan. This is a bad man and I'm taking him to put him in jail for what he did," he explained, squatting down next to the young girl.  
  
"What did he do?" she asked him.  
  
"Jordan!" her mother said in exasperation. "Don't be so nosy. The Police Officer is busy," she said, taking hold of the girl's hand again.  
  
"It's okay. He had some dangerous things that looked like candy, but weren't. So, if anyone tries to give you anything and you don't know them, make sure that you don't take it without checking with your Mom first, okay?"  
  
"Yes, Sir," said the girl and Bosco stood up. "What's your name?" she asked him suddenly.  
  
"My name? My name is Officer Boscorelli," he told her and she tried to repeat it. "How about if you just call me Officer Bosco? Is that easier?" he said, moving up in the line as it moved along.  
  
"What jail are you taking him to, Officer Bosco?" This time the question came from Jordan's mother and Bosco noticed that she wasn't wearing any wedding ring.  
  
"Well, I'm taking him back to my Precinct. The 55th Precinct of the New York City Police Department, Ma'am," he answered.  
  
"New York City? How exciting. I've only been there twice, but I've always wanted to go back," she told him.  
  
"Well, if you ever get back there, just look me up at the 55th Precinct and I'll be happy to show you and you're your husband around," he told her.  
  
"Oh, I'm not married," she said. "My name is Jennifer. Jennifer Tate," she offered.  
  
"Nice to meet you Ms. Tate," Bosco said, shaking her extended hand. He noticed that Mason had his food and that it was time to go.   
  
"Nice to meet you, Jordan and Ms. Tate. You have a safe trip okay?" Bosco said, patting the little girl on the head.  
  
"Please, it's Jennifer. And I hope you don't mind if I take you up on your offer sometime," she said.  
  
"Not at all. I'd like it," he said. "G'night," he told them as he escorted his prisoner back out to his RMP with Hogan following him like a puppy dog.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	2. Chapter 2

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 2  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco had gotten back on the road after Hogan offered to drive, much to Bosco's amusement. After driving for about 20 minutes, Bosco noticed that the traffic seemed to get a little heavier. But then he realized that the traffic was basically only around him and he sat up a little straighter in the seat.  
  
"How high up did you say this guy was in the drug operation?" he said quietly to Hogan who hadn't noticed anything until this point.  
  
"I'm not sure, but he's one of the top guys. Why?" he asked Bosco, looking over and seeing a serious look on his face.  
  
"Because I think his buddies are gonna try and bust him out. Hang on!" Bosco said as a car swerved into his lane trying to cut him off. Bosco tapped the brakes as he felt the cruiser being hit from behind. He fought with the wheel to keep it straight. He swerved to the left to enter the middle lane, away from the very steep shoulder on this stretch of the interstate, to give himself a little room to maneuver. The two cars moved with him and then another car appeared on either side of him.  
  
"Get on the radio and see if you can raise anyone, but I don't think we're in range of Central," Bosco told Hogan. He glanced in his rearview mirror and saw Mason with a smirk on his face as he appeared to be trying to brace himself within the back seat of the RMP.  
  
Suddenly, Bosco noticed that the car on his right seemed to drop back slightly and then he felt the car suddenly pull to the right - a tire had gone down.   
  
"They're shooting at us," he heard Hogan say to him. "I'm not getting anything on the radio," he added.  
  
"Yeah. Hang on," Bosco said as the car pulled sharply to the right. He fought and was able to keep the car on the road and glanced to his left. The car that was alongside of him began to veer closer. "He's gonna try to push us off the road," Bosco informed Hogan.  
  
Suddenly, he heard the glass break and felt pain rip through his shoulder before he heard the gunshot. At the same the time, the car on his left slammed into them and Bosco lost half his grip on the wheel because of the gunshot wound to his left shoulder. Another shot rang out and Bosco quickly glanced over to see Hogan slump forward.  
  
"Shit! Hogan!" Bosco yelled out as he tried to retain control of the vehicle. He felt the car being pushed again and this time the destroyed tire caught the edge of the road. He struggled to regain control and heard another shot ring out. He felt the bullet pass by the side of his head and strike the windshield, shattering it. He was unable to see where he was going and felt the car drop down to the right as it went off the road.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco felt his world coming back to him and was immediately aware of being upside down. He slowly opened his eyes and tried to look around. He was held in place by his seatbelt so his ability to move around was severely limited. He slowly turned his head to look for Hogan, being careful to stop if he felt any neck or back pain. The only pain that he began to feel was from the gunshot wound in his left shoulder. He called out to Hogan and got no response. He was able to reach over and feel for a pulse on the side of his neck and found none. "Dammit," he said to himself as he began to feel more pain throughout his body that he assumed was from being violently tossed about during the crash. He looked up at the rearview mirror to check on their prisoner, but the mirror had broken off. He tried to turn in his seat, but the belt prevented him. He decided he had to get himself out of the car and try to find help.  
  
He reached with his good arm to brace himself against the roof of the RMP and with his injured arm unfastened his seatbelt. He fell onto the roof of the car and rolled onto his injured shoulder causing him to shout out in pain. After a few deep breaths to try to relax, he started to survey himself for further injury, discovering that he had some pain in other areas. For one, there was a strong possibility that his leg was broken and he had some tenderness to his abdomen, hopefully just from the seatbelt.  
  
He twisted around to see if he could find out where Mason was and discovered that the back door of the RMP was open and Mason was nowhere to be found. He assumed that whoever had run them off the road was responsible for taking Mason with them. "With any luck at all, he's hurt bad," Bosco thought to himself. He reached over and again tried to find a pulse on Detective Hogan, hoping that he had just been at a bad angle before. No luck. Hogan was gone.  
  
"Okay, Boscorelli. Think," he told himself.  
  
He tried to reach for the radio and finally managed to get hold of the microphone. He hadn't signed out a portable because he wouldn't have been able to use it up here anyway. The radio was not working and Bosco realized for the first time that the car was not running and there were no lights on either. He looked at the ignition and saw that the keys were gone, most likely taken by the same people that had gotten him here to begin with. He managed to get his door opened and dragged himself outside of the car despite the pain shooting through his shoulder and leg. He noticed that there wasn't too much bleeding from the wound to his shoulder and thought that at least that was good news.  
  
He finally managed to drag himself clear of the car and attempted to stand up, putting his weight on his good leg and pulling himself up with his good arm. As soon as he was standing he felt dizzy and sick to his stomach. He broke out in a sweat and leaned back against the overturned car. He looked up the hill that he'd rolled down and looked back at the damage to his car. "Now Faith's gonna really be pissed," he said out loud as he took in the totally damaged car. He thought to himself that there was no way that anyone was going to see the car down here unless they had seen it all happen and that was highly doubtful.  
  
He tried to stand again and again experienced the dizziness and nausea. This time he felt darkness settling and knew he was going to pass out. He must have lost more blood than he thought, or there was more to his abdominal pain that he cared to think about. He fought to remain standing, but lost and soon darkness overtook him again.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Faith had just finished locking up one of the jag-offs that she and the Lieutenant had attempted to serve a warrant on. He decided he didn't want it and made the mistake of trying to get past the Lieutenant. Surprisingly, Faith found out that the Lieutenant still had the street smarts and could handle himself well despite being off the streets for a while.   
  
She walked back down the stairs to the desk where Swersky was completed the paperwork and looked at the clock. "Still no word from Bosco yet?" she said.  
  
Swersky looked up at the clock. "Hmmm. They should've been back about an hour ago," he said to her. "Call up to the Detectives Office and see if they've heard from Hogan. If not, call Central and see if they can contact them on the radio yet. If no luck with that, call Albany and see if they can tell you what time they left. Maybe they got delayed starting back," he told Faith.  
  
"Yes, Sir," Faith replied. She reached over to grab the phone and begin looking for signs of Bosco, Hogan and their prisoner, Mason.  
  
After Faith finished making the calls and the Lieutenant finished the paperwork, they'd found out that they hadn't left Albany until Mason talked to his lawyer. Faith had even tried to call Bosco's cell phone, but only got his voice mail. She left a message to call her as soon as he got the message.  
  
"Alright," Swersky said to the Desk Sergeant. "If you hear from Boscorelli, let me know. If you don't hear from him in the next half hour to 45 minutes, I want to know about it. Let's go finish up these warrants, Yokas."  
  
"Absolutely," Faith said, following the Lieu out of the house.   
  
"What d'you think, Faith. Should I be worried?" he asked her when they had gotten back into the car.  
  
"I don't know about you, Sir, but I certainly am. Even if they didn't get a start until late, they should be within radio range by now," she said, voicing her concerns.  
  
"We'll give them a half hour," the Lieutenant said, looking at his watch.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	3. Chapter 3

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 3  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Faith had called Bosco's cell phone at least four more times, still getting his voice mail. It had been two hours and they were back at the house. The Lieutenant was in his office making calls Upstate.  
  
Sully and Davis came into the building with one in custody for domestic assault. "Hey guys," Faith said, walking up to Sully. "Have you guys seen or heard from Bosco tonight?"  
  
"What? No, Faith," Sully answered her. "Last I heard at roll call was that he was going to Albany to pick up a prisoner and bring 'em back here. Why?"  
  
"'Cause he's long overdue and we can't raise him on the radio or his cell phone," she said, worry in her voice.  
  
"Damn," Ty said. "Let us know what's going on, okay?"  
  
"Yeah. Thanks guys," Faith said as the Lieutenant came out of his office looking for her.  
  
"Lieu?" she said as he approached.  
  
He shook his head. "Albany said they left there about 5:00. Said that Mason delayed them by having a meeting with his lawyer before they hit the road," he said, looking at his watch and seeing that it was now 10:00. "They should've been here at like 8:30 at the latest," he thought out loud. "Nobody up in the Detective's Office has heard from Hogan either. They're starting to get worried too."  
  
"Lieu, I've called his cell phone and left like five messages. He would've answered if he could," Faith said.  
  
"I'm gonna call the State Police and see if there's been any accidents reported along the Thruway," the Lieutenant said, walking back into his office.  
  
"Anything?" Sully said, walking up behind Faith.  
  
"No. Albany said they left about 5:00. Even if they stopped to get coffee or for the bathroom, they should've been here a couple of hours ago," Faith answered him.  
  
"Well, we've gotta get back out there. Call me and let me know what's going on," Sully said as Ty joined him.  
  
"Yeah. Will do," Faith said as she went to the phone to call Fred and let him know what was going on and that she'd most likely be late unless Bosco came strolling in during the next half hour. And if he did and he was fine, she'd kill him herself.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco first felt the cold as he regained consciousness. He shivered as he opened his eyes and saw the stars above him. He felt terrible. His shoulder and leg were hurting bad and he could feel the wet from the blood on his back from his shoulder wound. He had a terrible headache and reached up with his good arm to feel some dried blood in his hair covering a large lump on his head. He knew he had to get out of there, but he knew he couldn't make it up that hill either. He figured that at least if he stayed with the car, by morning, someone might see the skid marks on the road and investigate - that is if there were any skid marks to notice, but he was certain there had to be.  
  
He heard a faint beeping sound from within the car and tried to figure out what it could be. His jacket was in the car and he wanted to get to it to try to stop the shivering. He knew it wasn't as cold as he felt and that it was probably shock from internal bleeding somewhere. He tried to drag himself to the car and almost got all the way in. He looked around and saw his cell phone lying in the back of the unit. "Must've come out of my coat pocket during the accident," he thought to himself. Despite the pain, he reached for the phone. It was just out of reach. The beeping meant that there were voicemail messages for him, so someone knew he was missing - probably Faith. He looked over at the dead detective next to him and silently wished that he'd been a little nicer to him. After all, the guy was just trying to do his job and everybody was new to every job at one point. "Sorry, Tommy," Bosco said to the man. He reached into his pockets looking for his cell phone, but found none. The beep from his cell phone, telling him that he had a voicemail message sounded again, although it sounded a little faint. He tried to remember the last time he'd had the phone in its charger. It had been awhile and he hoped that the phone held out until he could reach it and call for help.  
  
He reached his jacket and tried to put it around him as best he could, sliding his bad arm in first and then zipping it up. He removed his gun belt and placed it in the vehicle so that he could move about a little more freely. He tried to get back out of the car and move to the back door. He felt his shoulder start to bleed again and cursed himself for stretching too far. Now, it didn't matter if he was standing, sitting or lying down. The nausea and dizziness was pretty much constant now, telling him that he was losing too much blood. He knew he had to get to that phone soon or it'd be too late until some road crew found him God only knew when.  
  
He dragged himself to the back door of the unit and started to crawl in. He reached his phone and brought it up to his face. He hit one of the buttons so the light would come on and checked the power left. Not much. He figured he had a little over a half hour of power left. He tried to call 9-1-1 but the signal must have been blocked by the surrounding hills. He hit the button to listen to his voicemail and heard the familiar sound of Faith's voice leaving him a message to call. "Having a wonderful time, wish you were here," he thought out loud. He tried again to make a call out, but was unsuccessful. He decided to turn the phone off to save what was left of the battery for later. Maybe some clouds would move or something and he'd get a stronger signal. He really wished he'd paid more attention during the electronics course he took in school.  
  
He suddenly had another idea as he listened to the traffic up on the road above him pass by. It wasn't frequent traffic, but if he could listen and try to judge where the cars were, maybe he could signal them with the flashlight on his gun belt - that was in the front seat. "Dammit!" he cursed to himself. He sat up to try and reach it, but the effort was too much for him and he felt himself passing out again. He tried to fight it, but he was losing and soon all was dark again.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	4. Chapter 4

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 4  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What if we drive up that way?" Davis suggested as they all sat in the roll call room after their shift.  
  
"We won't be able to see anything in the dark anyway," Sully countered.  
  
"Well, I can't just sit here doing nothing," Faith said as she stood up and started to pace again. Her cell phone rang and she grabbed it quickly from her pocket.  
  
"Bosco?" she asked anxiously into the phone while the others looked on.  
  
"Oh, Hi Fred. No. Nothing yet. How's the kids? Good. Yeah, I'll let you know what's happening. What? No, don't bother waiting up. I'm gonna be awhile," she said, hanging up the phone and putting it back in her pocket.  
  
"What about choppers? Can't they have choppers fly along the Thruway and look around? They have those high-powered lights on them, right?" Carlos said. He had come over after his shift to see if anyone wanted to go out for a drink and was told about Bosco's disappearance.  
  
"I don't know," Faith said, considering the idea with the possibility of bringing it to the Lieutenant.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco had regained consciousness and slowly made his way to the front of the car to get his flashlight. The traffic had decreased considerably and he had to fight to stay awake to listen for the next car or truck coming along. He figured a tractor-trailer would have a better chance of seeing his light because they sat higher-up than cars.  
  
He was feeling weaker and weaker and knew that he didn't have much time left. He was shivering even more and he found his mind wandering frequently. He heard another vehicle coming and it sounded like a truck. He raised his good arm as high as he could and flashed his light on and off, shining the beam in the direction of roadway.  
  
He had no idea how long he'd been doing it, but he finally thought he heard a truck downshift as if slowing down. He started flashing his light faster and heard a door slam. He yelled out, "Help! Is someone there?"  
  
"Hey! Are you okay? We're coming down. Hang on!" was the answer he received. He hoped he wasn't hallucinating as he lost consciousness again.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Faith knocked on the Lieutenant's door just as he hung up the phone and quickly stood up.   
  
"Lieu?" Faith started only to be interrupted.  
  
"Yokas! They found him. He wrecked along the Thruway. A trucker finally saw his flashlight beam and stopped to check it out. He's hurt pretty bad. They're taking him to a hospital there to assess and stabilize him and then he'll be transported down here when he's stabilized.  
  
"What hospital? I'm going up there," Faith said from the doorway.  
  
"Um," the Lieutenant said as he looked down at his notepad. "Albany Medical Center. He's being transported by LifeFlight," he told her, following her out into the hallway.  
  
"Thanks, Lieu," she said stopping suddenly. "What about Hogan?"  
  
"He didn't make it. Killed in the crash I guess. I don't have all the details because Bosco's unconscious," he told her solemnly. "I'm on my way up to tell the Detectives now."  
  
"Alright. I'm leaving now," Faith told him.  
  
"Call me from the hospital when you find out more. I'll call Albany and tell them you're coming also," he told her and she nodded that she heard as she went to tell the others.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
The trauma doctor and a nurse met the helicopter as it landed on the roof of the hospital. They brought their stretcher over and the doctor listened to the report from the flight medic.  
  
"Approximately 30 year old unconscious male police officer, victim of a gunshot wound and motor vehicle accident. From what we could tell he was the driver and the car rolled down an embankment. Unconscious upon our arrival although the trucker that found him states that he was conscious immediately upon his arrival. Assessment shows a gunshot wound to the left shoulder with significant blood loss, trauma to the right occipital area of the head, fracture of the right tibia and fibula, possible abdominal bleeding - there's rigidity of the abdomen. Vital signs are: pulse 120, respirations 18, B/P 90/60, pupils are reactive. He does not respond to painful stimulus. We have two large bore IVs running, oxygen at 10 liters per minute. Patient is immobilized on a backboard with collar; splint applied to his right leg and pressure dressing to his left shoulder," the medic said, finishing his report as they wheeled their patient toward the elevator.  
  
"Okay, let's get him downstairs. I want you to call CT. I want a scan of his head, neck and abdomen as soon as we assess him so I want them ready to go. I want ortho and neuro called. Let's go. Let's move people," said the doctor as she mentally ticked off in her head what steps and procedures would be needed  
  
As they wheeled Bosco into the brightly lit trauma room, the doctor looked down at her patient. "Oh my God. I know this Officer," she said. "Did they find anyone else with him?" she asked as she went about the business of assessing his condition.   
  
The flight medic that followed them down to hand in the paperwork said, "There was another officer still in the passenger seat that didn't make it. Gunshot wound to the right side of the head."  
  
As she listened to his chest to make sure that he was moving air properly, she said, "Get the police in here. This guy was transporting a prisoner to New York City." One of the staff left to call in the police from the waiting area as Dr. Jennifer Tate leaned over her patient and said, "I've got you, Officer Boscorelli. You hang on."  
  
"Let's get him to CT and tell the OR I'm coming up with an abdominal bleed," she said.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	5. Chapter 5

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 5  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I'm looking for Officer Maurice Boscorelli," Faith said to the volunteer at the information desk of the hospital.  
  
"You can try the lounge area down the hall and to the right. Sometimes they go there to finish their reports," replied the elderly woman.  
  
"No. I mean, he's here as a patient," Faith said, clarifying what she was looking for. She looked over at Ty Davis and saw the smirk on his face, but she was too nervous to notice what it was about. He'd decided to ride up with her - to keep her awake during the drive he'd said. "No sense two of you being in the hospital," he reasoned as an excuse to check on his friend.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," said the woman. "What did you say his name was?" she asked as she turned to the computer next to her.  
  
"Boscorelli, Maurice Boscorelli," Faith replied, looking back at the woman.  
  
"Let's see," she said, typing in the name. "B-O-S?" she started.  
  
"Yes, B-O-S-C-O-R-E-L-L-I. He was brought in through the emergency room a few hours ago," Faith said, getting agitated. Davis put a hand on her arm to calm her down.  
  
"Oh, here he is. Yes, he's here," she said, looking up at them. Davis looked at Faith and thought she was going to jump across the counter at the woman.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am," Davis jumped in. "Where is he? This is his partner and we need to see him."  
  
"It says that he's in surgery, but you should check with the doctors in the Emergency Room. They'll be able to give you some more information on his condition until you can speak to the surgeon, Dear," she said, looking at Faith with sympathy.  
  
"Thank you," Faith said, looking for the signs directing them to the Emergency Room.  
  
They walked over to the elevator and waited for the door to open.  
  
"Faith, you need to relax. He's in surgery so that means he's alive. We're here and everything's gonna be fine. I know it," Ty said.  
  
"I hope your right, Ty. I really hope you're right. If I was on time for roll call, I would've been with him instead of Hogan and maybe...," she said, only to be interrupted.  
  
"Maybe you'd both be in surgery right now, or you'd be dead instead of Hogan. Don't be ridiculous, Faith. Let's just find out how he is first," Ty said as the doors opened.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Okay. Good work everyone. I'm gonna close the abdomen myself this time, Mark. No offense, but I promised this one I'd take care of him the whole way," Dr. Tate said to the resident.  
  
"No problem, Dr. Tate. Just means I get to get a few minutes shut-eye before the next trauma comes rolling in," replied the resident as his pager sounded.  
  
"Then again, maybe not," teased Dr. Tate, the smile hidden by her mask evident in her eyes.  
  
"Tell me again when I start getting the big bucks?" the resident grumbled on his way out the door, leaving Dr. Tate to chuckle as she sutured.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Hi, I'm Officer Faith Yokas and this is Officer Ty Davis, NYPD," Faith said as they reached the desk of the ER. "My partner was brought in here by helicopter from a car accident a few hours ago. He's in surgery now. Is the ER doctor that took care of him here that I could talk to for some information on his condition?"  
  
"Yeah. You can talk to Dr. Emmett, but he's with a patient right now. I'll tell him that you're here, Officers," replied the clerk.  
  
"Thanks," Faith said as they walked over to sit down and wait.   
  
"You want some coffee?" Ty asked, looking at the vending machine in the hallway.  
  
"No. I'm nervous enough. You go ahead though," she told him.  
  
Ty walked out into the hallway and was waiting for his coffee to dispense when he looked down the hallway and saw two New York State Troopers. He grabbed his coffee out of the machine and headed toward them. He reached into his pocket and took out his identification as the two Troopers looked up.  
  
"Hey. How's it going?" Ty greeted them as he held out his badge and ID.   
  
"Ty Davis, NYPD," he said, putting his badge away and shaking both of the officers' hands. "You guys didn't happen to come in with Boscorelli from the car accident on the Thruway, did you?"  
  
"Yeah, we're waiting for him to be done in surgery. We're hoping to find out some more information when he wakes up. Maybe you can help us in the meantime," asked Trooper Kavanaugh.  
  
"Sure. But, do you know how bad he was injured? We really haven't been able to get any information. Do you know how the crash happened?" Ty asked.  
  
"You haven't heard anything?" asked Kavanaugh.  
  
"No. Just that the guy he was riding with didn't make it. What about the guy they were transporting?" Davis asked, somewhat unnerved by the look on the Troopers' faces.  
  
"It looks like they were ambushed on the road. The one that died, Hogan, died from a gunshot wound to the head, not from the accident. Boscorelli was shot in the left shoulder - we don't know if it was before or after the wreck - and the prisoner they were transporting was nowhere to be found," Kavanaugh reported.  
  
"What?!" Davis said with surprise. "Oh man. Wait. Let me get his partner. She's in the waiting room waiting to talk to the ER doctor. He walked back into the waiting room, followed by the Troopers to find Faith talking to the doctor.  
  
"Faith. Bosco and Hogan were shot," he said, interrupting.  
  
"Yeah. That's what Dr. Emmett was just telling me. What happened?" she said to the Troopers behind Ty.  
  
"We're not entirely sure yet," one of them replied. "We're waiting to be able to talk to your officer."  
  
"He's in Recovery," came a voice from behind the two Troopers. Everyone turned to see Dr. Tate standing in the doorway, still wearing her surgical scrubs with some of Bosco's blood on it.  
  
"Doctor? Is my partner okay?" Faith asked, stepping forward.  
  
"Well, he's in critical condition, but I believe he'll recover. He's going to require time to heal and physical therapy, but I think he'll have a good result. The leg fracture was a clean break and the shoulder wound was through-and-through with no damage to the joint and no major vessel damage. He had some internal bleeding where I believe he impacted the steering wheel during the accident and he's got a concussion and minor fracture of the skull my guess is from the accident as well," she reported. "He was very lucky he got here when he did. If it was much longer, it may have been a much different result."  
  
"Did you talk to him at all?" Faith asked, trying to figure out what happened.  
  
"No. He was unconscious when he reached the hospital. But, I heard from the flight medic that he was conscious when he was found by the trucker that saw his light, although I don't know how with the amount of blood loss and the head injury," she relayed.  
  
Faith turned to the Troopers. "The trucker took off before we got there. I guess he didn't want to get involved any further than calling us," Kavanaugh said. "We're trying to piece together their route to see if we can figure out what happened, but there wasn't much traffic tonight."  
  
"Well, I know he was at the rest stop in Catskill," Dr. Tate reported. They turned to look at her.  
  
"I thought you said he was unconscious?" Faith asked.  
  
"He was, but not when I saw him, the other officer and the prisoner at the rest stop when I was there at the same time. He was very nice to my daughter," she said with a smile.  
  
"Yeah. Bosco likes kids," Faith said.  
  
"He IS one really," Ty added with sarcasm.  
  
"Well, if you want, I'll take you up to the Recovery Room and you can see for yourself that he's alive," Dr. Tate offered.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks," Faith said as she and Ty followed the doctor.  
  
"Doc. You'll let us know when we can talk to him?" Kavanaugh asked.  
  
"Sure. You're leaving?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah. Now that he's got somebody here with him. We just didn't want him to wake up and not have anyone here," the Trooper said. "We'll head back to the scene and check what's going on. We'll be back in a little bit. Call us sooner if he wakes up enough to talk."  
  
"Will do. Thanks, guys," Faith said, shaking each of their hands.  
  
"No problem. We're all family, right?" replied the other Trooper as they turned to leave.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	6. Chapter 6

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 6  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Faith walked into the Recovery Room behind Dr. Tate. Ty waited in the hallway until Faith was done.  
  
"Now, he's pretty out of it still. We just finished surgery so the anasthesia still has hold of him. He's got some bruising so that looks horrible, but that will go away in the next few days. When he does wake up, he may be confused - from the head injury - but the Scan didn't show anything long term. He was dehydrated when he was brought in also. I honestly don't know how he hung on for as long as he did," she finished explaining looking from Bosco to Faith. "You okay?" she asked, noticing the paleness of Faith's face and putting a hand at her elbow. "Here, why don't you sit right here," she said, helping Faith to the chair next to Bosco's bed.  
  
"Thanks. Just the tension and the trip, I guess. He's pretty strong-willed," Faith said, starting to feel a little better. Dr. Tate looked back at her with a puzzled look. "That's how he held on. He's stubborn," she explained.  
  
Dr. Tate nodded her head, "Well it worked in his favor. You can sit here with him as long as you'd like. I'll let the nurse know that it's okay. Can I get you some juice or something?" the doctor offered, noticing the residual paleness.  
  
"Um. No, you've done enough. Thanks, Dr. Tate," Faith said, shaking the doctor's hand.  
  
"Sure. I've got a few patients to check on and then I'll come back. If he starts to wake up, get the nurse and she'll page me, okay?"  
  
"Sure. Thanks again," Faith said, looking back at Bosco.  
  
Dr. Tate walked out of the room and stopped to talk to Ty in the hallway.  
  
"He's still out of it - probably will be for a little while yet. But, he's young and in good shape. And from what his partner says, he's a fighter so I'm not worried about him making a good recovery from this. I told her she could stay with him as long as she wants, but I think she could use something to eat and drink. She doesn't look too good herself. You can stick your head in for a minute, but come with me into the lounge and I'll give you some juice and something to bring to her," she said, leading Ty into the lounge at the end of the hall.  
  
"Thanks, Doc," Ty said when she handed him some food and drink. "Thanks for taking care of him."  
  
"Not a problem. Look, do you guys have any place to stay? Because, my house is just up the road and there's more than enough room - if you don't mind that my daughter will probably swarm you at first. Anyway - you're more than welcome. I'll be back in a little while to check in," Dr. Tate said.  
  
"Okay. I'll tell Faith," he said, heading back toward the Recovery Room as Dr. Tate went to talk to the nurse.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Faith stood up and walked closer to the bed. She looked her partner over, kicking herself for being late to roll call.  
  
"I'm sorry, Bos. Maybe if I was with you, this wouldn't have happened," she said as she reached down and touched his arm. He continued to sleep peacefully.  
  
"Ty's here too and everyone from the House is waiting to hear how you are," she said. "I'm staying right here, okay? I'll be right here," she said as she heard the door open behind her.   
  
A nurse came in followed by Ty who had a couple of bottles of juice and some muffins. The nurse went around to the other side of the bed to start checking on Bosco's vitals and Ty walked up to the bed.  
  
"Doctor's orders," he said, holding the items out to Faith who let out a laugh. "How's he doing?" he asked.  
  
"He's still asleep. Doctor said it would probably be awhile 'cause he just came out of surgery," she told him.  
  
The nurse finished checking his wound and his vitals and started out. She stopped next to Ty. "I'm sorry, but only one of you can stay - and that's breaking the rules really."  
  
"No problem," Ty said, putting the food on the table. "I'll go call Lieu and let him know as much as we know for now," he said to Faith. Faith nodded and Ty followed the nurse out.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Okay, Davis. Thanks for calling. Keep us posted. You got somewhere to stay up there?" Lieutenant Swersky said.  
  
"Yeah, Lieu. The doctor taking care of Bosco offered to let us stay at her place. Apparently, she met Bosco at a rest area here shortly before the crash and he made an impression on her," Ty said, hearing the Lieutenant chuckle on the other end.  
  
"I don't know what the women see in him," Lieu said.  
  
"Yeah, me either. I haven't talked to Faith, but we may take her up on it for the night. You gonna let everyone there know what's going on?" Ty said.  
  
"Yeah. Will do. Keep in touch," the Lieutenant replied before hanging up.  
  
He turned to Sully and Carlos and told them what Ty had relayed.   
  
"Okay. Well, I'm gonna head home then. I'm off tomorrow so I'll take a ride up there," Sully said.  
  
"Okay. Tell Davis he's cleared for tomorrow off too. Tell Faith to let me know how long she's gonna be off. I gotta go call Bosco's mother. She's been waiting to hear whether he's gonna be transferred down here or if she should head up there," the Lieu said.  
  
"I'll call her Lieu. I'll give her a ride up with me in the morning. That way she can see first hand that he's gonna be okay," Sully offered.  
  
"I'll go let everyone at the station know what's going on," Carlos said, heading out the door. He turned to Sully, "Tell Bosco we all said 'hey.'"  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Faith was sitting in the chair, her head back. She'd had some of the juice and half a muffin, which helped a little. She just got back from calling Fred to let him know that she'd be staying at least overnight until she found out whether he was being transferred back to the City or not. Fred told her that Sully'd just stopped by to grab some extra clothes and stuff to bring up with him tomorrow. He told her Sully was bringing Bosco's mom up in the morning too.  
  
Dr. Tate had come back once to check on Bosco and said she'd be back again. The nurse was there now, checking on his vitals again. Faith heard the nurse at her side whisper, "Officer? I think he's waking up." Faith sat up and thanked the nurse.  
  
"Bosco?" Faith said quietly. "It's Faith. I'm here. You're in the hospital and you're gonna be fine."  
  
"Faith?" he said hoarsely, trying to focus his eyes on Faith.  
  
"Yeah. You're gonna be fine. You just need to rest, okay? The doctor will be here in a minute.  
  
"Hogan," he said, starting to stir.  
  
"I know, Bos. It's okay. Just try to relax. You gave us quite a scare," she told him, trying to get him to calm down and get his mind off of Hogan.  
  
"Mason got away. He had someone come after us, Faith," he said, getting agitated.  
  
"Bos. It's okay. Just relax. We'll get him. Please, relax," Faith said, as Bosco tried to get up.   
  
"It's the head injury, Officer," Dr. Tate said, coming in behind her. She helped Faith to hold him down as the nurse gave some medicine through his IV to calm him down. "Officer Boscorelli, you're at Albany Medical Center Hospital. You were injured and had some surgery. It's very important that you calm down and stay still for right now. Your other officers are taking care of your prisoner," she said calmly as the medicine began to work and he fell off to sleep again.  
  
Faith took in a deep breath while Dr. Tate checked Bosco's wounds to make sure he didn't rip out any sutures. "Wow. What did you mean it's the head injury?" she asked the doctor.  
  
"He's confused. His body's telling him one thing - that he's hurt and he needs to rest - and his mind's telling him that he needs to do his job and take care of his prisoner. It'll all get coordinated again. His body's been through a great shock and he needs to recover. Rest is the best thing for it," she said, looking back at Bosco.  
  
"Look, he's gonna be out for the rest of the night because I'm going to order enough medicine to keep him out. I told the other officer that you're welcome to stay at my house - it's just up the road and there's more than enough room," she said as another doctor came into the room.  
  
"This is Dr. Delaney. He's going to be taking care of your partner for the night and he'll call me if anything changes. He's very good - almost as good as me," she said, winking at the other doctor as she teased him.  
  
"You're sure he won't be waking up?" Faith said.  
  
"I'm sure. I want him out of it for the rest of the night so his body and head have a chance to heal. C'mon. You can follow me in your car," she said.  
  
"Okay. Let me just tell him I'm leaving," she said, walking over to the bed.  
  
"Bos. You need to rest so the doctor gave you medicine to make you do that. I'll be back first thing in the morning or sooner. You just relax and get better," Faith said.  
  
Dr. Delaney whispered to Dr. Tate, "Wife?"  
  
"Closer. She's his partner. Take care of this one Jerry. I met him when he was healthy and I think I'd like to get to know him better," she said, winking.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am," he said as Faith finished and was ready to leave.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	7. Chapter 7

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 7  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"My name's Jordan. What's your's?" was the first sound that Ty heard. He opened his eyes to see a little blue-eyed, blonde-haired girl staring at him.  
  
"Mommy says you're a policeman. Do you know Officer Bosco? My Mommy took care of him last night," she continued.  
  
"Yeah. Hi, Jordan is it?" and the little girl nodded. "My name's Ty. Ty Davis," he answered sitting up in the bed and squinting at the sunlight coming through the window.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Officer Davis," said Jennifer as she took hold of Jordan's hand and led her out of the room. "Jordan, I told you that the Officers were very tired and needed to sleep," he heard Dr. Tate say as she led Jordan down the hallway.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
"But, I want to see the lady policeman," Jordan was whining as she got further away.  
  
"Sshhh, Jordan. Please. Come get ready for school," Faith heard as she woke up. She smiled and looked at the clock on the nightstand. 7:00 a.m. She didn't even remember getting into the bed last night after they'd gotten here from the hospital. Dr. Tate had insisted on fixing them both something to eat before they went to bed and Faith was sure that the full stomach helped her to sleep better despite her worries about Bosco.  
  
She got up, washed up, and put her clothes on, laying the nightshirt that Jennifer had let her borrow on the bed after she'd made it. She walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the sounds and non-stop chatter of the little girl in the kitchen. She smiled as she remembered when Emily was such a chatterbox - about the same age.  
  
"Good morning, Officer Yokas. I'm sorry if Jordan woke you up," Jennifer apologized.  
  
"It's Faith. And no, she didn't wake me up. Hi, Jordan. How are you?" Faith said, looking at the little girl.  
  
"I'm fine. Are you really a policeman?" she asked.  
  
"Well, actually, I'm a policewoman," Faith corrected her as Ty walked in behind her.  
  
"Hi, Ty," Jordan said.  
  
"Officer Davis," Jennifer corrected her.  
  
"Ty's fine. Hello, Jordan," he answered.  
  
"Well, sit down. I've got some bagels and cream cheese and some fruit. There's bacon and eggs in the refrigerator. There's bread and there's waffles in the freezer," Jennifer rattled off.  
  
"And there's Lucky Charms too!" Jordan added.  
  
"Mmmm, my favorite," Ty said.  
  
"Well, help yourself to anything. Jordan, show the Officers where the plates and stuff are. I need to get ready to go to work," Dr. Tate said, heading out of the kitchen. "Oh," she said, stopping at the doorway. "I called the hospital. Your partner had a nice, quiet night. He's still sleeping, but I told them to lighten up on the medication and I'll check him as soon as I get there."  
  
"Thanks, Dr. Tate," Faith said.  
  
"You're welcome. And, it's Jennifer," she answered, turning to go up the hallway.  
  
Jordan took a shine to Ty and led him over to the cabinet by his hand to show him where everything was.  
  
"You really like those?" Faith asked, as she watched him start eating his bowl of Lucky Charms.  
  
"Mmm. They're magically delicious!" Ty joked as Faith munched on a bagel and some orange juice. She rolled her eyes as Dr .Tate came back in the room.  
  
"Okay, Jordan. Time to get your jacket on and get out there for the bus," Jennifer said as she gathered up the girl's schoolbag and lunchbox.  
  
"I want Officer Ty to bring me to the bus," Jordan said, grabbing on to Ty's hand.  
  
"Jordan, Officer Davis is a visitor. You're not supposed to make him do things," Jennifer said with a smile.  
  
"It's okay. I'd like to get some fresh air anyway," Ty said, standing up and grabbing his own jacket.  
  
"Okay. Thanks. Now remember, Mrs. Donaldson will be here to get you off the bus and take care of you until I get back from work. Tonight's my late night, remember? So, I'll see you in the morning and we'll do something special because it's Saturday," she said, giving Jordan a kiss and sending her out the door with Ty.  
  
"She's beautiful," Faith said, watching through the window as the little girl tried to make Ty skip down the driveway. He wasn't having any of it and Faith chuckled.  
  
"Thanks. She's a handful," Jennifer answered. "You have kids?" she asked, noticing the wedding ring on her finger.  
  
"Oh, uh, yeah. Two. A boy and a girl - Emily and Charlie. They're at home with my husband - going to school themselves right about now.  
  
"So, are you raising her by yourself?" Faith asked, not wanting to overstep her bounds.  
  
"Yes," Jennifer answered with some sadness. "Her Dad, my husband Jeff, died in a car accident about two years ago. He was hit by a drunk driver on his way home from work. He was a police officer too. I guess that's why Jordan is so fascinated with the two of you - and why she took an interest in your partner when we saw them at the rest stop. We were coming back from a visit to her grandmother's house. He was really nice to her," Jennifer said.  
  
"I'm sorry about your husband. Bosco loves kids. He is a big kid, really. He's got a real soft spot for them," Faith said as Ty came back in the door.  
  
"She didn't give you too much trouble, I hope," Jennifer said to him.  
  
"No. She did want to bring me to school for show and tell though," Ty said and everyone laughed.  
  
Jennifer looked at Faith. "Like I said. She's a handful."  
  
"Well, I'm about to head over to the hospital. Feel free to just sit here and relax for a little while. Make yourself at home and use anything you need. You're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like," she said, grabbing her handbag and her briefcase after putting the dirty dishes into the sink.  
  
"Thanks, but I think we'll follow you over if that's okay," Faith said, looking at Ty who nodded his agreement.  
  
"Sure. Let's go," Jennifer said as she turned off the coffee pot and they left, Ty locking the door behind him as he pulled it shut.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Faith and Ty were in the hallway waiting for Dr. Tate to finish examining Bosco who was just waking up when they'd arrived.  
  
"Any headache or blurry vision, Officer Boscorelli?" Jennifer asked him.  
  
"Um, a little. What else happened to me?" he asked, not able to place her face, but knowing that he'd seen her before somewhere.  
  
"Well, let's see. You have a concussion and a slight skull fracture. That should heal fine on it's own; you have a broken lower right leg which didn't require surgery. The Ortho doc can tell you more about that; you had some internal bleeding which I had to go in and stitch up - probably from the steering wheel during the crash; and, last but not least, you had a gunshot wound to your left shoulder that was through-and-through and missed any major vessels or bone. All in all I'd say you are one lucky man. I don't know how you lasted as long as you did, Officer Bosco," she finished.  
  
She smiled as the "light went on" his eyes. She watched him look at her name tag on her white coat.  
  
"Jennifer, right?" he said, with a smile.  
  
"Right. And Jordan is extremely worried about you," Jennifer added.  
  
"I didn't know you were a doctor," he said.  
  
"Well, we didn't really have a lot of time to talk. You were working, after all," she said, the smile fading and a look of concern coming across her face.  
  
"I'm sorry about the other officer, the detective. Do you feel like you want to talk to someone about that?" she offered.  
  
"No. I'll be okay. I didn't really know him at all - not that I don't feel bad about him getting killed," he added quickly.  
  
"I understand, Officer," she said.  
  
"Bosco," he told her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You can call me Bosco. Everyone does. Or Maurice," he said, shrugging and wincing at the pain in his shoulder.  
  
"Okay, Maurice it is," she said. "I'll have the nurse give you something for the pain," she said. "I have some more patients to see and you have some visitors here.  
  
"So, I didn't dream that Faith was here?" he said. "I wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't."  
  
"No, you didn't dream it. She's been here for quite some time. Along with Officer Davis. You ready for me to send them in?" Jennifer asked him.  
  
"Yeah. Um. You're coming back, right?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"Wild horses couldn't keep me away, Maurice," she said with a smile as she gathered the chart and headed toward the door.  
  
"Doctor Tate!" Bosco called after her and she turned to him.  
  
"You can save the 'Doctor Tate' for in front of the nurses and residents," Jennifer said.  
  
"Jennifer, then. I just wanted to thank you - for saving my life," Bosco said.  
  
"You're welcome, but you played a bigger role in that than I did. I'll send in your friends, but I want you to get some rest. Doctor's orders," she said, winking and walking out.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"He's much better today," Jennifer told Faith and Ty. "I think he's going to be just fine after a while. He can probably go home in a day or so, but he'll need to stay with someone for a short time. I'm going to have the nurse give him something for the pain, but you can both go in. When it looks like he's getting tired, though, I want you to let him rest," she finished.  
  
"Okay. Thanks," Faith said as she and Ty walked into Bosco's room.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	8. Chapter 8

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 8  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So, the Boss said that Sully's coming up today and he's bringing your Mom up," Ty told Bosco as he and Faith sat in his room.  
  
"Sully's bringing my Mom up here?" Bosco asked in surprise.  
  
"Yeah, why? Didn't you think your Mom'd wanna be here?" Faith asked him.  
  
"Yeah, but with Sully? I don't know who's in store for what with the two of them together," Bosco said, chuckling slightly until he felt the pain from it. "Ow," he said.  
  
"How's Sully doing anyway?" Faith asked Ty.  
  
"I don't know. He's still messed up. I'm worried about his drinking," Ty said, looking at the expressions on Faith's and Bosco's face.  
  
"I don't think he's drinking on the job - at least not that I've seen. But, I know how he looks when he comes in to work. I mean, he's not still drunk, but you can tell that he had a rough night," he explained.  
  
"Well, he's been through a lot. He feels guilty, I'm sure," Faith said.  
  
"We gotta find a way to help him out," Bosco added, hearing a knock on his door.  
  
"Yeah," he called out as loud as he could without hurting himself. The door opened and the two Troopers that Faith and Ty had met in the Emergency Room entered. Ty stood up and shook their hands.  
  
"Hey guys. How's it going. Bosco, these are the two Troopers that found you. Trooper Kavanaugh and Trooper Franklin," Ty said, introducing them. They each stepped forward and shook Bosco's hand.  
  
"Thanks. I don't know how much longer I would've lasted out there," Bosco said.  
  
"Well, we're glad we got that call from the trucker, although we never did find him," Franklin said.  
  
"So, do you feel up to answering some questions?" asked Kavanaugh.  
  
"Sure, if I can," Bosco said, trying to sit up a little more with some difficulty. Faith got up and helped to adjust the pillows behind him. Ty and Faith then got comfortable - this would be the first time they heard the story as well.  
  
"Can you tell us what happened from the time you picked Mason up here in Albany until the wreck?" the Trooper asked him.  
  
"Uh, let's see," he started thinking back. "We got to the police station at about 4:15 p.m. We were told that he was meeting with his lawyer. So, we grabbed some coffee and waited until they were done, which was about 5:00 p.m. We had signed the paperwork for the transfer in the meantime so we were all ready to go as soon as the meeting was done. We loaded up and headed out. We stopped at the Catskill rest area because Mason started yelling about his right to a meal and Hogan had to hit the head," Bosco said, pausing for a moment.  
  
"And, about what time was that?" asked Kavanaugh.  
  
"Let's see, we got stuck in some traffic because it was rush hour in the City. I think it was about 6:00 or 6:30," Bosco said with a frown. He was having trouble remembering everything.  
  
"That's right," came Dr. Tate's voice from the doorway. No one had heard her come in. Everyone turned to look at her.  
  
"I was there with my daughter. That's where I first met Maur... - er, Officer Boscorelli," she said with a slight blush. "It was about 6:15 actually," she said.   
  
"Thanks," Bosco said, offering a slight smile and hoping no one else noticed. "Anyway, we hit the hea... - uh, bathroom and then we got some food for Mason and then got back on the road about 6:45 or so," he said pausing again. "I'm kind of fuzzy on the times, I guess."  
  
"That's perfectly normal, and surprisingly accurate, considering the trauma to your head, Officer," Dr. Tate assured him.  
  
"So, we were traveling south on the Thruway again and I noticed there wasn't much traffic. It was starting to get dark and I noticed some traffic - maybe four or five vehicles - moving up quickly behind us. I mentioned something about it to Hogan and I remember glancing in the mirror and seeing this smug grin on Mason's face. I guess I knew right then that things were about to take a turn for the worse. Hogan tried to use the radio, but we were out of range for our radios. Two cars got in front of me and slowed down while the other cars cut us off and tried to force me to the shoulder of the road. I was able to maneuver and stay in the middle lane. I figured that'd be my best bet to stay on the road," he said, becoming a little agitated.  
  
Jennifer watched as she saw her patient become upset. If he got anymore agitated, she'd have to cut off the interview until he calmed down again. But, she also sensed that he needed to get the story out, so she stayed where she was and observed.  
  
"A car came up on either side of us and they opened fire on us. I saw Hogan slump in the seat next to me, but I couldn't see where he was hit," he said, looking up at the Troopers for the answer to that, but they didn't go into anything yet. They just wanted to get his story first.  
  
"Then, I felt pain in my left shoulder. I felt it before I heard the shot," he noted, a layer of sweat forming across his forehead. The car to the right fell back and tried to make me fishtail, and the car on my side started to push me over to the side. I tried to hold on, but there was too many of them," he said, his breathing heavier now has he relived the whole incident.  
  
Jennifer started to step forward to stop it, but he caught sight of her and waved her off. She stood still, hoping that she wouldn't have to put an end to it - that he'd get it all out.  
  
"I remember going down the side of the road and then nothing until I woke up. I was upside down in the car, the seat belt held me in the seat. I looked over at Hogan and tried to feel for a pulse. There wasn't one," he said quietly and Faith put a hand on his arm as Ty stood and moved closer to the bed, trying to offer silent support.  
  
"I looked into the back seat and saw that the back door was open and Mason was gone. I unhooked my seatbelt and tried to move. I knew I was hurt. I was shivering from being cold. I was in and out of it for I don't know how long. I remember waking up and hearing my cell phone beeping," he said, looking at Faith.   
  
"I crawled over to it and heard your messages, but I couldn't get a signal to call out and the battery was getting low so I turned it off to save the battery and try again later," he said. "Then, I started using my flashlight to try to signal passing traffic. I don't know how long that went on - I was in and out of it some more - and finally I heard a truck stop. I remember hearing a guy yell that he was coming...," he said, looking up at the concerned faces. "That's all until I woke up here," he finished, taking in a ragged breath.  
  
"And I'm afraid that's all I can allow for now," Dr. Tate said, stepping forward. "You need to rest, Officer," she said as the Trooper that was writing closed his notepad.  
  
"Any luck finding Mason yet?" Bosco asked them.  
  
"Nothing yet," Kavanaugh replied. "But, we've got help from Albany and NYPD looking for the guy. We brought his lawyer in for questioning, but he says he had nothing to do with it. Look, we'll let you get some rest for now and get this information in. Thanks," they said, turning to leave.  
  
"We're gonna head out for a little while so you can get some rest, Bos," Faith said. "Your Mom should be here anytime so just relax for a little bit. I'll be right outside, okay?" she said.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks," Bosco said, the fatigue evident. Ty and Faith walked out, leaving Jennifer in the room.  
  
"You okay?" she asked him as she checked his IV and his abdominal incision for signs of infection.  
  
He was quiet for a moment and Jennifer pretended to be writing in the chart, sensing he wanted to say something.  
  
After a moment, he said, "Um... What happened to Hogan?"  
  
She looked at him and said, "He received a gunshot wound to the right side of his skull. He was killed instantly. There's nothing you could have done," she assured him.  
  
"I could've driven better," he said, the loss of a fellow officer finally hitting him.  
  
Jennifer put a hand on his right shoulder. "Maurice. It was one against at least three or four that I could determine from what you told those Troopers. And you came very close to dying also. This was NOT your fault. Just be thankful that he didn't suffer at all," she said, giving a slight squeeze.  
  
"Now, try to get some rest. Do you need anything for pain?" she asked him.  
  
"Yeah, I could use something, I guess," he said, feeling the pain in his abdomen and shoulder from the tenseness of telling his story.  
  
"Okay. I'll send the nurse in with something. You're okay now?" she asked him.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks, Jennifer. Could you make sure they send my Mom in as soon as she gets here. Trust me, they don't want to make her wait - it won't be pretty," he joked, trying to lighten up the moment a little.  
  
"Will do. I'll check back in later," she said.   
  
"Oh, I almost forgot," she said, stopping at the door and reaching into her pocket. She walked back toward Bosco and handed him a folded up piece of paper. "Jordan drew this for you this morning. She sends her best and she thinks it's cool that I'm your doctor," she said.  
  
"Thanks. Tell her I think it's cool too," he said, leaning back on the pillows and beginning to relax as he looked at the picture Jordan drew of their meeting in the rest area.  
  
Jennifer looked back at him once as she walked out the door and let it close behind her. Bosco was asleep before the door closed and didn't even hear the nurse come in to give him the medication that Jennifer ordered.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	9. Chapter 9

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 9  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Well, I talked with his Ortho doctor and we agree that there's no reason that he can't be transferred back home by Tuesday," Jennifer was telling Faith.  
  
"He can ride in a car for that long?" she asked.  
  
"Well, it would be a good idea to stop periodically to give him a chance to move around a bit. And a vehicle that has reclining seats would be better to keep the pressure off of his abdominal incision. He'll need follow-up in about ten days. I can send his records off to his doctor down there," Jennifer said.  
  
"Um. I don't even know if he's got a regular doctor at home," Faith said. He's never sick. He just lives in the ER," she joked.  
  
"Well, I can recommend someone, or he could come back up here. Or, I could check him down there. I'll be going down for a conference about that time," she remembered suddenly.  
  
"Well, we'll figure all that out in the next couple of days, I guess," Faith said.  
  
"The back seat on my truck reclines. He could stretch out on there," Ty offered. "But, I'll be back to work by then," he said as an afterthought.  
  
The doors to the elevator opened as they were talking and Sully and Rose Boscorelli stepped out.  
  
"Faith? Where's my Maurice?" Rose said as she approached.  
  
"Hi Rose. He's right in there, but he's sleeping right now. This is Dr. Tate, Bosco's doctor," Faith said.  
  
Rose took the doctor's hand and said, "Thank you for taking care of Maurice. Is he going to be okay?" she asked as Sully walked up to Ty and rolled his eyes.  
  
"Good trip?" Ty asked him, trying not to laugh.  
  
"Marvelous," Sully said, his usual grumpy self. "How is he?"  
  
"He's doing okay. He's pretty banged up and sore, but he was really lucky. He just found out what exactly happened to Hogan. The Troopers just got done questioning him and that wiped him out - you know, reliving it all again," Ty reported.  
  
"I'll bet. You going back tonight?" Sully asked him.  
  
"Probably. I've gotta work tomorrow," Ty told him. "Doctor said he can probably go home by Tuesday. We were just trying to figure out how to get him back home. He's not gonna be able to drive himself and Faith came up with me."  
  
"Well, you can come back with me and leave your truck for Faith, if you want," Sully offered.  
  
"That's a plan, but Faith has to be back to work tomorrow too," Davis said.  
  
Rose finished talking with the doctor and went in to see Bosco. Faith walked over to Sully and Davis while Dr. Tate went to check on a few other patients.  
  
Sully handed a bag with extra clothes to Faith. "Thanks, Sul," Faith said, taking the bag from him.   
  
"No problem. How you holding up?" he asked her.  
  
"Me? I'm fine. It's Bosco I'm worried about, but he seems to be in good hands," Faith said looking at Ty.  
  
"Oh?" Sully asked.  
  
"Yeah, Dr. Tate offered us lodging at her house last night and for as long as we need it. She even offered to come down to the City and check on Bosco while she's at a conference in about a week," Faith said.  
  
"She met Bosco at the rest stop before the wreck. She was there with her daughter and they struck up a conversation," Ty explained.  
  
"Of course, he didn't know that she'd be saving his life later on," Faith added. "But, they seem to hit if off," she added with a smile. "I was talking with her while you were taking Jordan to the bus stop earlier. Her husband was a cop up here. Got killed by a drunk driver on his way home from work one night about two years ago. She's raising Jordan by herself," Faith told them.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Maurice?" Rose said quietly. If he didn't wake up right away, she'd just sit and wait. The doctor told her that he'd had a rough morning and was pretty wiped out. She looked him over and noticed all the bruises and scrapes. "What they did to you," she said softly.  
  
"I'm okay, Ma," Bosco said as he opened his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I just had to see for myself that you were okay," she said as she leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. She took hold of his hand.  
  
"Well, I'm sore, but I'll be fine the doctor says," he told her, squeezing her hand.  
  
"I'm sorry I couldn't get here last night, but I didn't have any way to get here. I couldn't get hold of Mikey and your father, well... he wasn't too eager to bring me up," she told him, sorry that she had mentioned it as soon as the words were out.  
  
"It's okay," he said, trying to hide his disappointment. "I was pretty much out of it from what I'm told. Faith was here and I didn't even know it until today. She says I talked to her last night for a minute, but I don't remember," he said, shifting slightly as he tried to get more comfortable.  
  
"Well, I'm not going anywhere now. Dr. Tate told me I could stay at her house until you were released. She seems really nice," Rose said.  
  
"Yeah, she's okay. She's got a cute kid too," he said glancing at the picture that was still on the bed next to him.  
  
"She said you can probably go home by Tuesday. Of course, you'll have to stay with me for a little while until you heal more. Or, I could stay at your place - wherever you're more comfortable," Rose said.  
  
"We'll talk about it later, okay Ma?" Bosco said, fighting to keep his eyes open.  
  
"Okay, Baby. You just close your eyes and rest some more. I'll be right here or in the hallway if you need me," she told him, raking his hair with her fingers, avoiding the spot where he was injured. He was sound asleep again in what seemed like seconds and Rose sat and watched him for a short while.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
As Rose came out into the hallway, Faith, Ty and Sully turned to her. "Is he awake?" Sully asked.  
  
"He was for a minute, but he's back out of it again. The pain medication, I guess," Rose told him. "Thank you again, Sully, for driving me up here."  
  
"No problem. I wanted to come up and see how he was anyway. I'm driving back down tonight. Are you staying?" he asked her.  
  
"Yes. Dr. Tate offered to let me stay at her house until Maurice is discharged. Faith, thank you for staying with him. And you too, Ty," she said.  
  
"No problem. But, I do have to go back to work tomorrow, so I'm gonna head back with Ty and Sully tonight. Will you be okay here?" Faith said.  
  
"I'll be fine. You go back and try to find the monsters that did this," she told them.  
  
"Ty offered to let me use his truck to bring Bosco home next week, so I'll call you to find out when he's gonna be discharged and I'll come up and bring you both home," Faith said.  
  
The Troopers, who were now off duty, came off the elevator and down the hallway to the group. "How's he doing?" asked Kavanaugh.  
  
"He's doing okay. They said he can probably go home as early as Tuesday. Any news on Mason?" Faith asked.  
  
"Nothing much right now. We're trying a couple of hunches, but no luck so far. You guys heading back tonight or are you sticking around til the morning?" Franklin said.  
  
"We'll probably head back tonight, but I'll leave my number with you in case you get any information on the case," Faith said.  
  
"Sully, Mrs. Boscorelli, this is Trooper Franklin and Trooper Kavanaugh. They're the ones who found Bosco and got him transported to the hospital," Faith said. "This is John Sullivan, NYPD, and this is Bosco's mother, Angela Boscorelli."  
  
They all shook hands and Rose said, "Thank you for getting him to the hospital. I'm grateful for everyone's help."  
  
"Well, Ma'am. All we did was call for a helicopter. Your son did all the hard work of holding on until we found him," Kavanaugh said.  
  
"Well, we're heading out for some dinner and thought you might like something besides hospital food. Anyone interested?" Franklin asked.  
  
"Sounds great to me. I didn't realize how hungry I was until you just mentioned it," Faith said and Ty agreed.  
  
"Good, you all go out and have some fun. I'm going to stay here with Maurice," Rose said.  
  
"Okay. We'll bring you back something to eat. We'll stop back before we head back down home," Sully said to Rose.  
  
"Thanks and have fun," Rose said and they all started to leave.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
TBC... 


	10. Chapter 10

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 10  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The five officers were in the middle of their meal at the steakhouse, swapping horror stories and passing around pictures of the accident scene, when someone's pager went off. "Man, he's lucky to be alive," Ty said as Kavanagh took his pager off his belt and looked at the number. After glancing in Franklin's direction, he took out his cell phone and dialed as the others sat in silence knowing by the look on his face that it may be something serious.  
  
"Yeah, this is Kavanagh," he said when his call was answered. He listened for a moment, adding a couple of responses to questions and hung up.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry to have to cut this short, but we may have a good lead on this Mason character," he said, using his napkin and reaching for his wallet to pay for his meal. Franklin did the same.  
  
"No way. This one's on us, guys," Ty said, telling them to put their wallets away.   
  
"What's the lead?" Faith asked them.  
  
"Well, it seems that one of his former associates may have seen him in one of the seedier parts of our fair city. We've got a couple of Albany units on the way to check it out," he said, standing up.   
  
"Mind if we come along?" Sully asked. Kavanagh thought for a moment.  
  
"Alright. But you guys need to stay out of it. You don't have clearance to be working up here and it's my ass if something goes wrong. Not to mention having to deal with your C.O. in the aftermath," Kavanagh answered.  
  
"We're strictly observers," Sully answered for all of them as they threw money on the table to cover the check. The five of them exited the restaurant and climbed into Kavanaugh's SUV.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"You wanted to see me, Mr. Mason," said the nervous little man.  
  
"Not really, but I need to know something," Mason said.  
  
"Yes, Sir?"  
  
"I need to know how you could miss an unmoving target?" he said, the anger bubbling up in his voice and stance.  
  
"Sir?" said the man in confusion.  
  
"You left one of those cops alive!" Mason bellowed. "You told me they were both dead!"  
  
"What? I thought they were, Sir! I don't know how one could have survived. They were both shot and then that rollover wreck..." he said only to be interrupted.  
  
"Well, I survived that rollover wreck!" yelled Mason, as the man noticed the facial bruises that Mason had sustained in the wreck.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sir. They both looked dead to me," he said, trying not to shake too badly.  
  
"Well, I suggest that you find a way to get into that hospital and finish the job," Mason yelled even louder, making the man jump.  
  
"Yes, Sir. I'll take care of it, Mr. Mason. You don't have to worry about a thing," he squeaked as another man hurried into the room and whispered into Mason's ear.  
  
"Get it done!" Mason said, dismissing the man.  
  
"How?" he asked the second man.  
  
"Word is that Smitty found out from some of his connections and called the cops. They're on the way here now so we have to move," the man said.  
  
"Let's go," Mason said, hurrying out behind the man to make his getaway.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
The five officers were standing outside of the building talking to the Albany Officers at the scene.  
  
"Somebody tipped him off. He was definitely here, but he was gone by the time we got here," said the police officer.  
  
"Okay. Thanks for your help," Kavanagh said, shaking the Officer's hand.  
  
"We're all keeping an eye out. How's that NYPD cop doing?" the Officer asked.  
  
"Well, these are his co-workers and his partner," Franklin said, pointing out Faith and they all shook hands.  
  
"He's gonna be okay. He's pretty banged up, but he should make a full recovery. Now we just gotta catch the bastard that did this to him," Faith said.  
  
"I hear that," said the Officer. They all said goodbye to one another and the five got back into Kavanaugh's SUV and headed back to the hospital to drop them off.  
  
"Well, thanks for everything guys," Faith said as they all got out of the SUV at the hospital.  
  
"Sorry we couldn't have gotten this guy while you were here. But, we WILL get him," Kavanaugh assured them all. "And, I've got your number and you've got mine and Franklin's, so don't hesitate to call us. We'll keep you posted. Give us a call when you come back up to get Boscorelli and we'll meet up," he said.  
  
"Will do. Take it easy," Faith said and they all said goodbye. The three headed back up to Bosco's floor to check in before they headed out.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
As they got off the elevator and reached Bosco's room, Faith said, "Oh my God. We forgot to bring back something for Bosco's mom to eat."  
  
"Don't worry. I'm not very hungry anyway," Rose said. She was sitting in the chair in the hallway.  
  
"I'm sorry Rose," Faith said. "Everything okay?" she asked, looking at the closed door to Bosco's room.  
  
"Yes. Dr. Tate is just checking his wounds. He's been awake for a little while now. He turned down the pain medicine until you guys got back because he wanted to be awake," she told them.  
  
"Well, we're gonna head back to the City tonight, so we just wanted to see him real quick and then he can have some more medicine," Faith said. "You want me to run down and see if I can get you something to eat from the cafeteria?"  
  
"No. I'm really too tired to eat, Faith," Rose said as Dr. Tate came out of the room.  
  
"Well, I'm heading home and making something to eat, so why don't you come with me, Mrs. Boscorelli. We'll come back first thing in the morning, okay?" Jennifer Tate said.  
  
"It's Rose, and thank you very much," Rose said.  
  
"You guys are heading back tonight?" Jennifer said to Faith, Ty and Sully.  
  
"Yeah. We've all gotta work tomorrow. But, I'll call tomorrow to see how he's doing and I'm gonna use Ty's truck to come back up and bring Rose and Bosco home when he's ready," Faith said.  
  
"Okay. We'll take good care of him," Jennifer said. "You can go in and see him. He heard your voices out here. But not for too long."  
  
"Thanks," they said as they all walked into Bosco's room.  
*^*^*^*^*^^*^*  
  
"John Sullivan?! You must have thought I was gonna die if you came all the way up here to see me," Bosco teased, reaching out to shake his hand.  
  
"Seriously, Man. Thanks for comin' and bringing my Mom up," he said.  
  
"No problem. I'm glad everything's gonna be okay," Sully said.  
  
"Ty, thanks for coming up here," Bosco said, shaking his hand also.  
  
"You know I'm always here, Bos," Ty said.   
  
"Ty's gonna let me use his truck next week to bring you and your Mom back home," Faith told Bosco.  
  
"Thanks. I'll make sure she doesn't scratch it," Bosco said teasingly.  
  
"Well, we're gonna head out into the hall and wait for you," Sully said to Faith.  
  
"Alright. I'll be out in a minute, guys," she said as the two walked outside.  
  
Bosco watched them leave and then saw Faith looking at him. "What?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm just... You gave me quite a scare, Bos," she said simply.  
  
"Sorry. Wasn't my idea," he said, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"I know. I just.... Well, I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're my partner and I'm waiting for you to come back to work. I'll have my cell phone so you can call me anytime and I'll probably see you early next week when it's time to go home," she said.  
  
"Thanks, Faith. I'm glad we're partners too. I'll give you a call tomorrow. Have a safe trip back. Tell everyone at the house I said Hi and tell the Bucket Boys and medics thanks for the gift," he said, pointing to the box on the table next to his bed. Faith walked over and looked in the box.   
  
In the box was a hardhat and reflective traffic safety vest, along with some road flares and a flashlight that had a red and amber flashing light. She picked up the card and read it: "Bosco. Here's to a speedy recovery. Please carry this small token with you at all times when driving." It was signed, "The Crew at Camelot."  
  
Faith chuckled and put the card back in the box. "That came today?" she asked, walking back over to his bed.  
  
"Yeah. Wait'll I get back home," he said kiddingly. Faith noticed by the look in his eyes that he was having some pain.  
  
"Well, we're gonna head home. You get some rest and I'll talk to you tomorrow, Bos," she said, reaching down to take his hand. He grasped back and they each gave a squeeze.  
  
"Thanks, Faith," Bosco said as she let go and headed for the door.  
  
"Have fun with The Good Doctor," she teased as she left, the words that Bosco wanted to say left unspoken as she pulled the door shut.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
They were southbound on the Thruway when they came to the spot of Bosco's accident. Faith and Ty were riding together and Sully followed in his car. Ty pulled off to the shoulder of the road, with Sully pulling off behind them. The three got out of the vehicles and looked at the skid marks that seemed to go on for a long way.  
  
"Boy, he must have held it for a long time before he lost control," Ty said.   
  
"Yeah. I can't imagine him giving up easily," Faith said as they looked down the embankment and saw where the car had dug up the grass and dirt and came to rest against the tree. The bark was stripped off of the tree where the car rested and they could see the reflection of some of the broken glass in the grass.  
  
"Wow," Sully said and they all shook their heads in agreement.  
  
"Anybody hear if Hogan had any family?" Faith asked.  
  
"I don't know. He was pretty young. I heard his funeral's gonna be day after tomorrow," Sully said.  
  
"I told Bosco I'd go for him," Faith said as they headed back to their vehicles.  
  
"I'll go with you if you want," Sully offered.  
  
"Sure. Thanks," Faith said. After another moment they were all back on the road toward home.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	11. Chapter 11

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 11  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Three days later...  
  
"Can you ask one of the nurses for another blanket, Ma?" Bosco asked through chattering teeth.  
  
Rose was just thinking how warm and stuffy the room was and now Bosco wanted another blanket. "Sure, Maurice. I'll be right back," Rose said as she left to find another blanket.  
  
Bosco tried to readjust himself in the bed to get comfortable and grimaced as the pain of his shoulder shot down his arm and up into his neck. "Damn, this shouldn't still be hurting this much," he thought to himself as he rang for the nurse for some more pain medication.  
  
Rose came back into the room with a blanket and was followed by a nurse answering the call bell.  
  
"Mr. Boscorelli? What can I do for you?" asked the nurse as she took in the pained look on his face and his pale skin color and light sweating.  
  
"My shoulder's killing me again. Can I have something for it yet?" he asked as the nurse came over and put a hand on his forehead as Rose put the blanket over her son.  
  
The nurse took his pulse and blood pressure and then put a thermometer in his mouth. After a few minutes, the machine beeped and she looked at the thermometer, noting the 103 degree fever indicated.  
  
"I can get you something for the pain, but I think I better call Dr. Tate. I think you may have an infection in one of your wounds - probably the shoulder since that's where you're having the most discomfort. I'll be back in just a moment with your pain medicine," she said, turning and walking out.  
  
"Oh, Maurice. Like you haven't been through enough already," Rose said, moving closer and feeling her son's forehead herself.  
  
"I'm okay, Ma. It'll be okay," he said, reassuring his mother.  
  
"Of course you will be," Rose said. "So, Dr. Tate is a very nice woman. And very interested in you also," she added getting a sideways glance from her son.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked her as the nurse walked in with medicine for Bosco's IV.  
  
"Dr. Tate called back. She's just finishing up in surgery and she'll be down in a little bit," the nurse said as she administered the medicine. Bosco started to feel some relief as the pain medication coursed through him.   
  
"Better?" the nurse asked him.  
  
"Getting there. Thanks," he told her.   
  
"I'll check back in a few minutes, okay?" she said and Bosco nodded. Rose thanked the nurse and then she was gone.  
  
"So, what'd you mean?" Bosco asked his mother again.  
  
"Oh. Just that she was asking me a lot of questions about you last night at her place. That Jordan certainly is a cute little thing," she said. "You seem to have made quite an impression on her also."  
  
"I only met her the one time at the rest stop," he said, the medication making him drowsy.  
  
"Well, she's a fine lady. You could do a lot worse," Rose started only to be interrupted.  
  
"Ma! No matchmaking. Please," he said, closing his eyes for a moment.  
  
"You get some sleep, Maurice. I'm going to go get some coffee. Do you need anything else?" she asked, not getting a response because he'd already fallen asleep. She watched her son peacefully sleeping for a moment and then left to get some coffee.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Dr. Tate came into the room and saw her patient sleeping. The nurse followed her in to see if there was anything she needed assistance with.  
  
"How long since his last pain medication?" Dr. Tate asked the nurse.  
  
"About a half hour, Doctor," the nurse replied after looking at her watch. Jennifer took Bosco's wrist to take his pulse and he didn't stir. She grabbed his chart and looked it over for a few moments.  
  
"Get me some more dressings. I'm going to take a look at his shoulder wound and probably start him on a different antibiotic," she instructed the nurse, who turned to get the supplies.  
  
Jennifer took the blankets off Bosco's torso and pulled down his hospital gown, taking in his appealing physique. He didn't stir until she started trying to gently remove the adhesive tape from the dressing. She stopped as soon as he stirred and waited for him to open his eyes.  
  
"Hey," he said as he realized who was in the room.  
  
"Hey yourself, troublemaker," she said, going back to removing the dressing.   
  
"Troublemaker? I was just lying here," he said back to her. She smiled and he again noticed that smile that caught his attention the first time they'd met.  
  
"Yeah, just lying here and festering. I'm just gonna take a look at this then we'll probably put you on a different antibiotic. Infections from gunshot wounds are not uncommon - not to mention you were laying out in the dirt for who knows how long," she said, peeling back the old bandage and discarding it. The nurse brought in the new supplies and assisted as Dr. Tate debrided the wound edges and reapplied another dressing. She wrote an order for the antibiotic change in the chart and the nurse went to get the new medication.  
  
"Better?" she asked, pulling his gown back up over his shoulders after checking his abdominal incision, which was healing nicely.  
  
"Oh yeah. Great since you've been poking around at it," he said sarcastically.  
  
"Oh don't be a baby. This is nothing compared to what you've been through," she teased him back, laughing.  
  
"Nice bedside manner," he joked. "I hope my Ma's not driving you crazy. Thanks for letting her stay at your place," he said as Jennifer finished making notes in his chart.  
  
"She's great. She's got quite a sense of humor and lots of stories about you. Jordan loves her too," Jennifer said, putting the chart down and slipping her pen back into her coat pocket.  
  
"Stories about me?! That can't be good," he groaned.  
  
"Actually, some of them were quite funny," she said, reaching over to feel his forehead for fever - or at least that's what she wanted it to seem like. She couldn't help this strong feeling of attraction she had despite trying to fight it. She didn't need another cop in her life. Waiting for the phone call every night while her husband worked was bad enough. "Did she really want to go through all that again?" she thought to herself.  
  
As Bosco reached up and took hold of her hand, she took in a sharp breath. "Yes," she answered her own question. She'd never felt these strong feelings since her husband.  
  
"I mean it. Thanks for everything," he said to her. He'd never felt what he was feeling for any of the other girls he'd known and dated. This woman was different and he couldn't ignore the attraction. She had her life together and knew what she wanted it seemed - not like the others who were just basically one-night stands.  
  
"It's no trouble. I'm enjoying all the company and Jordan is having a blast," she said, letting her hand linger in his as they both looked at each other.  
  
After a moment, Bosco cleared his throat and said, "Look. I know you probably have a rule against this, but, do you think we could maybe get together for some dinner or something when I get out of here?"  
  
"I think I'd like that, Maurice," she answered quietly as she bent over and kissed his lips. She'd been unable to control the urge and was pleasantly surprised when he recovered from the shock and kissed her back.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
Rose had taken advantage of Bosco getting some sleep and walked down to the hospital newsstand. She bought the NY Post and went to the cafeteria to get some breakfast and sat and read the paper in a sunny window.  
  
She was just coming back into the room and saw Dr. Tate and Bosco kissing. She smiled and quietly stepped back into the hallway until she heard them talking again, hearing Dr. Tate's quiet laugh at one of Bosco's jokes. "That boy always did know what to say," she thought to herself. "He just never knew when to stop saying it," she finished, stepping into the room in hopes of avoiding him saying the wrong thing.  
  
She heard Bosco ask, "So when do you think I'll be able to get out of here?"  
  
"Well, that all depends on how fast you can fight this infection. If you're fever's gone tomorrow and the wound looks better, and you really hate it here that much..." she said as Bosco interrupted.  
  
"Sorry. No disrespect intended. I just hate these places," Bosco said to her.  
  
"None taken. Anyway, if all looks good by tomorrow when I get off duty, you're more than welcome to spend the last couple of days at my place with your Mom. I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable and I think I can even find a doctor to take care of you - at no extra charge, of course," she joked.  
  
"I don't want to put you out. You've housed my friends and now my family. I don't want to overstay my welcome," he said as their gazes locked on one another.  
  
"I don't think there's any danger of that. Besides, Jordan asks about you daily. If I tell her you're coming to stay for a couple of days, she won't keep pestering me to bring her in here to see you," Jennifer said, the decision made for him.  
  
"Well, I'll try to do my part in getting better by tomorrow. It's up to you to pick the right medicine to help me, Dr. Tate," he said and Angela cleared her throat behind them.  
  
"Oh. Mrs. Boscorelli. I didn't hear you come in," Jennifer said, a slight blush appearing on her face.  
  
"I just walked in," she said, holding a cup of coffee for Bosco. "Can he have this? It's decaf," Rose said.  
  
"Sure. I don't see any problem with that. You've been on solid food for a day and a half so I guess if you were going to have a problem it would've shown up by now," she said, stepping aside to let Rose next to Bosco with the coffee.  
  
"Well, I've got other patients to see if you're done taking up my time with this piddly problem," she said, excusing herself. "I'll stop down later and then I'll let you know what time we can take off, Rose," she said. "Of course, you're welcome to go to my place whenever you'd like. Would you like a key so you can go there earlier or in case I get stuck on a case?" she said as an afterthought.  
  
"No. I'll wait for you, Jennifer. Thank you, dear," Rose said.  
  
"You're very welcome. Jordan's loving all the visitors," Jennifer said before leaving.  
  
After the door had closed, Rose turned to Bosco with a smirk on her face. "What?" Bosco said, a little color rising in his cheeks as well.  
  
"How's the coffee?" she asked as the phone next to Bosco's bed rang. He reached for it and answered.  
  
"Boscorelli," he said into the phone and Faith heard the light tone of his voice.  
  
"Bosco, it's Faith. How're you doing?" she asked him.  
  
"Great. I'll probably be getting out of here tomorrow if the antibiotics work on this little infection in my shoulder," he said.  
  
"Tomorrow? Okay. I'll let the Boss know of the possibility of needing the day off tomorrow and you can let me know for sure in the morning," she told him, happy that he appeared to be doing better than they'd thought he would this early.  
  
"No. Actually, I'll be staying at Jenn - Dr. Tate's house for a couple of days. So, Tuesday still sounds like the day," he said and then listened to the empty air on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Faith? You still there?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, Bos. I'm here," Faith said and he could hear the smile in her voice.  
  
"Don't, Faith," he said, a smile coming across his face.  
  
"Don't what?" she asked him.  
  
"You know don't what," he said again. "I'll talk to you in a couple of days. Everything okay down there?"  
  
"Yeah. Christopher's missing you terribly, but we're trying to keep his spirits up," she said sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. So, who's he busting on since I'm not there to feel his wrath?" he asked her.  
  
"Actually, I think he's saving it all up for your return, Bos. It should be a really special homecoming for you. I've got a call so I gotta go. Take care and let me know if you're ever coming home," she said quickly, hanging up before he could respond.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean..?" he shouted into the phone, realizing that his partner was already gone.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	12. Chapter 12

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 12  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Did Danny get back to us yet about the cop?" asked Mason.  
  
"Not yet, Sir, but I'm sure he's workin' on it," his second in command answered.  
  
"I don't want him workin' on it. I want it done. It should have been done that night!" Mason said angrily.  
  
"Yes, Sir. If I have to take care of it personally, it'll get done, Sir," the man said.  
  
"If YOU have to take care of it, you better take care of Danny too. In fact, after Danny does this cop, I want him outta the picture - permanently. You take care of it, Paulie," Mason ordered.  
  
"Yes, Sir," Paulie replied and then paused. "Uh, Sir. About this business in the City," he started.  
  
"The deal going down on Wednesday?" Mason asked and Paulie nodded.  
  
"Yes, Sir. The man said that he wants to meet with you personally. Apparently, word of your recent 'release' from incarceration has reached him and he wants to meet you. He feels that bigger plans can be made for the future," Paulie advised him.  
  
"You think it's legit?" Mason asked him, wondering if it was some sort of a set-up.  
  
"I do, Sir. I checked a few things out and it seems there are some bad feelings between this man and certain members of the 55th Precinct - one Officer Maurice Boscorelli, among others. He offers any assistance he can provide in your recent quest to dispense with him," Paulie relayed.  
  
"Interesting. Let me think on this for a little while. When do you have to get back to him?" Mason asked.  
  
"I told him I would be in touch sometime this evening."  
  
"Okay. I'll let you know soon. We have to be very careful, Paulie. Very careful indeed," Mason said, trailing off and going back to the papers he was going through.  
  
"Yes, Sir. I'll see what I can find out about Danny, Sir," Paulie said, leaving his boss alone to think.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"Well, Officer. You seem to be responding nicely to the new antibiotics," Dr. Tate said to Bosco while the nurse was in the room. She sent the nurse from something just to get her out of the room and then leaned over to kiss him again.   
-----  
She had come in very early this morning just so they could talk together without any interruptions and they had gotten to know each other a little better. She told him about her husband and how he died. She told him of her fears of getting involved in a relationship with another cop. He had assured her that he was very careful and that he wouldn't give her any cause to worry. He laughed as he remembered her comment to that. "Which explains your admission to this hospital, right?" she'd said and he had to admit that he didn't have an answer to that one.  
-----  
  
They broke their kiss just before the nurse returned to the room.  
  
"Well, I guess it's the great care I'm getting in this hospital, Doc," Bosco said to her as he released her hand at the last possible moment before the nurse could see it.  
  
"Doctor, it says in the chart that Mr. Boscorelli will be released today. Do I need to contact anyone so that you can make arrangements to return to New York City?" asked the nurse, looking back and forth between the two of them.  
  
"Actually, Susan. Officer Boscorelli is going to be staying with some friends here for a couple of days before he heads back down home. It seems he doesn't like hospitals and promised to let me check him out in a couple of days before he heads back home," Dr. Tate responded, trying to hold back a smirk.  
  
"And here I thought we were all getting along famously," the nurse replied with a wink before she left the room.  
  
"She knows," Jennifer said, worried about news of her business spreading around the hospital.  
  
"You think?" Bosco retorted sarcastically. "You think it's because we can't keep from touching one another?"  
  
She slapped him on the arm. "Stop. We're not behaving like two lusty teenagers," she said to him.  
  
"Maybe you're not, but I'm sure feeling like one," he said, taking her arm and pulling her to him.  
  
"Good morning!" Rose said cheerily as she walked in to the room. She didn't even flinch at the sight of them kissing and managed to keep her chuckle to herself as they both quickly stopped what they were doing and tried to pretend they weren't doing it.  
  
"Good morning, Rose. Sleep well?" Jennifer asked her.  
  
"Yes. You were out pretty early this morning. Emergency?" she asked her.  
  
"Uh. Yes. A car accident came in, but it turns out he doesn't need surgery. He just needed some extra attention," she said as she felt Bosco pinch her. She put her hand behind her back and swatted at him, missing.  
  
"Oh. So, how's my Maurice doing? Is he ready to be released today? He told me that he may be coming to stay at your house also for a couple of days before heading home. You're very generous," she said.  
  
"Yes. He's responding well to, um, treatment, but I think he needs a couple of more days before he travels. Besides, Jordan is anxious to see him again," Jennifer told her with a smile.  
  
"She is a wonderful little girl. You're doing a great job with her," Rose said.  
  
"Thanks. Well, I've got more rounds to make. I'll stop in again later," Jennifer said looking at Bosco.  
  
"You can kiss him goodbye. I won't tell anyone and you have my full approval," Rose said, teasingly.  
  
Bosco watched Jennifer blush and laughed as she bent over and kissed him quickly on the cheek and left.  
  
"Ma. Don't tease her. This isn't easy for her. Plus, she doesn't want her private life getting around the hospital," Bosco told her.  
  
"Sorry. I just wanted to let her know that she could be herself around me. That I think the two of you getting together would be a great thing. And then, there's the possibility of finally becoming a Grandmother," she said, being interrupted.  
  
"Ah. Here we go," he said as she handed him a bagel and coffee she picked up on her way in to the hospital. He sat up and inhaled the smell of the coffee and started eating the bagel. "Mmmm. Thanks, Ma. Real food," he said.  
  
"So, I think I'm going to head home today. You seem to be doing well and I need to get things ready at your apartment for when you come home. You know, make sure there's food in the refrigerator and your laundry is done and the apartment cleaned up," she told him.  
  
"But how are you gonna get home. Faith's not coming up until Tuesday," he said to her.  
  
"I got hold of Mikey. He's gonna come up to see you and then bring me back home," she told him.  
  
"I don't think you should be letting Mikey drive you, Ma. He's never straight. He'll get you killed on the way home. I'll give you the money for the train," he said.  
  
"No. He won't be driving. Your father's going to come up and get me. Mikey talked him into it. I don't know if he'll come in to see you, but if he does, I want you to try to be civil to him, Maurice. He's coming all the way up here," she said and watched as Bosco's face turned hard.  
  
"Just take the money for the train, Ma. I don't want to see him," he told her.   
  
"He's worried about you, Maurice," Rose said.  
  
"Worried?! If he's so worried about me, why didn't he even call me after 9/11? Not so much as a message on my machine, Ma! No. I don't want to see him. If he's coming up to get you that's fine, but I don't want to see him. I mean it, Ma," he told her emphatically.  
  
"Okay, okay, Maurice. Calm down. If that's how you feel, I'll tell him that when he gets here. But, I want you to think hard about it," she urged him.  
  
"Yeah, okay. I'll think about it. But, I'm not gonna change my mind. So, if you want to call it off, the offer for the train ticket is still good," he told her calming down.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"He's being discharged tonight," Danny told Paulie. He'd been posing as a janitor and working on the floor that Bosco was on, but he hadn't had an opportunity to dispense with him in the hospital as yet.  
  
"You're sure?" Paulie asked him.  
  
"Yeah, Paulie. I heard the nurse's giving their report at change of shift and they said that Boscorelli is being discharged tonight. I'll wait until he gets to his car and I'll take care of it. Maybe I'll make it look like another car accident," he said.  
  
"Be careful, Danny. No witnesses. Don't leave another mess, Danny," Paulie warned him. "And call me as soon as it's done and then go to the bar," Paulie said.  
  
"Yeah, alright. Tell the Boss. After tonight it's all over," Danny said.  
  
"Yeah, Danny. I'll tell him," Paulie said, knowing that Danny wouldn't be living to see the Boss' gratitude.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
TBC... 


	13. Chapter 13

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 13  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco was waiting for Jennifer to get done with a case in the operating room. Luckily, they didn't need the bed for another patient and he was able to stay there until she was done. All of his paperwork was completed and he was just hanging out watching the game on television until Jennifer was done.  
  
Finally, she came into the room. "Sorry it took so long. It was a pretty messy job," she said.   
  
"No problem," he said, climbing off the bed and maneuvering into the wheelchair alongside the bed. He wasn't able to use crutches yet because of his shoulder injury and abdominal surgery, and he could only put a little weight on his leg with the cast, so he was stuck in the wheelchair for the time being.  
  
The nurse came in and said, "I'll call for an orderly to take you down, Bosco."  
  
"No, that's okay, Lisa. I'll wheel him down. I'm going down that way anyway," she said, trying to hide the fact that they were going to the same place.  
  
"Okay, Doctor. Have a good night and you take care Bosco," said Lisa with a smile.  
  
"Thanks, Lisa. Thanks for everything," Bosco said, giving a smile back to the young girl.   
  
As Jennifer wheeled Bosco toward the elevators that led to the back entrance of the hospital where the doctor's parking lot was, she said, "Enjoyed that, did you?"  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, she was soooo flirting with you," Jennifer said, tapping him on the head as she pushed the chair.  
  
"Really? I didn't notice," he said innocently.  
  
"Yeah, right. So, how're you feeling today? You look a lot better," she said.   
  
"I feel pretty good. It must be knowing that I'm getting out of this place. Are you sure I won't be in the way at your place, because I can just get a room somewhere," he said.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. Jordan's all ready for you. She said she's going to be your nurse and she'll get you anything you need," Jennifer told him.  
  
"I was kind of hoping you'd be my nurse," he said, tipping his head back to look up at her. She laughed and put her hand on the side of his face.  
  
"We'll see. Maybe I'll let you play doctor and you can let me play cop," she said in almost a whisper as they reached the rear entrance.  
  
"Ooh. I think I'd like to try that," he said as they reached her car. She helped him into the car and handed him the seatbelt to put on. As she was bent over him he leaned forward and turned her chin toward him and slowly began kissing her and felt her start to respond. After a moment they broke the kiss and she stood up, closed the door and returned the wheelchair inside the doorway. He was looking forward to the next couple of days because Jennifer had taken a couple of days off to stay with him.  
  
She got into the car and started out of the parking lot, neither she nor Bosco knowing that Mason's man was waiting for Bosco to come out the front of the hospital instead of the back.  
  
They made small talk on the short trip to her home and she pulled into the garage and helped him into the house using the wheelchair that she'd made arrangements to have delivered to her home earlier in the day.   
  
They were hardly in the door when they were swarmed by a very excited Jordan who should have been in bed, but who was obviously too excited about the visitor to sleep.  
  
"Jordan, wait! Let me get Bosco to the couch so he can rest," Jennifer told her daughter.  
  
"It's okay. Hey. You want to ride over there with me?" he asked the little girl as she carefully climbed onto his lap.  
  
"Go, Mommy, Go!" she squealed.  
  
"This isn't the Daytona 500 and you're not helping," she said to both Jordan and Bosco," Jennifer said, laughing.  
  
"Go, Mommy, Go!" Bosco repeated, as Mrs. Donaldson came into the room.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Dr. Tate. She was just too wound up to sleep. I did try," the woman told her.  
  
"I know Mrs. Donaldson. Don't worry about it. Thanks for staying late. I really appreciate it. This is Officer Boscorelli, a friend of mine," Jennifer told the woman as they both helped Bosco to the couch.  
  
"It's no trouble. Nice to meet you. Jordan's talked about you non-stop all day. It's so nice of you to give me the next couple of days off. I'm going to go visit my grandchildren," the woman said.  
  
"Great! Tell Gary and Linda I said hello and say hi to Billy and Sarah for Jordan and me," Jennifer said, walking Mrs. Donaldson to the door. "Goodnight and drive carefully," she said, closing the door and turning back to see Bosco reading a book to Jordan who finally started to calm down as the late hour started to hit her.  
  
"Okay, young lady. It's bedtime for you," Jennifer said coming over to take her upstairs.  
  
"Aw, Mom! I want to visit with Officer Bosco," she complained.  
  
"It's okay, Jordan. We can have breakfast together in the morning, okay?" Bosco said.  
  
"Okay," she said with a smile as Jennifer took her upstairs to her room. Bosco looked around the room, done in warm, comforting colors. He noticed the police officer's badge and American flag mounted on dark blue velvet in a dark wood frame on the wall next to the fireplace and the pictures of Jordan and Jennifer with a man that Bosco assumed was her husband. "That must have been hard," he thought to himself as he let the big couch swallow him up.  
  
The next thing he knew, he smelled something cooking and opened his eyes. He must have dozed off and he woke up just in time to see Jennifer walking toward him with a tray of food. She had changed into comfortable clothes and let her hair loose. He couldn't believe she could be more beautiful, but she was.  
  
"Thought you might be hungry. It's nothing much, but it should hold you over until breakfast," Jennifer said, setting the tray on the coffee table in front of him. "Did you have a nice nap?" she asked him.  
  
"Sorry about that. I didn't think that little bit of moving around would wear me out so much," he apologized.  
  
"Don't worry about it. You should eat and then I'll get you into the guest room so you can get a good night's rest. I think you'll need it for Jordan tomorrow," she teased. They sat together talking and eating and before they knew it the clock chimed 1:00 a.m. Bosco didn't want the night to end. He was enjoying getting to know about her. He couldn't get enough and wanted to know everything about her. She had even gotten him to talk about his childhood which he didn't do with anyone. Even Faith didn't know the whole story, but Jennifer listened and didn't judge.  
  
"Well, Maurice. Let's get you into bed," she said, standing up and moving the wheelchair closer to him. He fought the urge to make a comment and maneuvered himself into the chair and they headed toward the guest room, immediately off the living room.  
  
"I left some pajamas on the bed. I hope they're the right size and you have a small bathroom right in there. There's a toothbrush and some other things I thought you might need while you're here, but if you need anything let me know and I'll be glad to pick it up," she said, indicating a small room off the other side of the bedroom. "If you need help, just call me. I'm a light sleeper," she said. "Oh! You get changed and I'll go in the kitchen and get you one of your pain pills. Even if you don't feel too bad, you should probably take one to prevent any discomfort during the night," she said, leaving him alone.  
  
Bosco maneuvered the wheelchair to the bathroom and balanced himself to get his teeth brushed and change his clothes. When Jennifer returned he was leaning against the bed, ready to put his t-shirt on. She took in a sharp breath at the site of his bare chest and arms, despite the bandages that remained and felt her pulse quicken. "Jennifer! You see bare-chested men every day," she said to herself, but had trouble taking her eyes off of him. She walked over and handed him a glass of water and his pain medication. She put a bottle of water on the nightstand in case he got thirsty during the night.  
  
He took the medicine and handed her back the glass as their fingers touched. He held onto her hand as she took the glass with her other hand and set it on the nightstand. "I'm sorry, but you're just so beautiful and I just can't help..." he said as he pulled her toward him and they began kissing. She kissed him back and he felt the urgency of her kiss. They had started to explore each other, but were interrupted with Jordan's voice calling her mother for a glass of water.  
  
Their lips parted, leaving them both breathless. "I'm sorry. We go through this every night," she said, slightly embarrassed. "You should get some sleep though. Goodnight," she said, leaving him sitting on the edge of the bed.  
  
After she left, he let out a deep breath. "Wow," was all he said.  
  
On the other side of the door, Jennifer stood catching her breath. Her eye caught sight of her husband's picture on the mantle piece and a wave of guilt came over her as tears sprang to her eyes. "I'm sorry, Jeff," she said to the picture before she went upstairs to get her daughter a glass of water.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
"What do you mean, he's not there anymore?" Paulie asked Danny over the phone shortly after Bosco and Jennifer had left.  
  
"I mean, he's gone, but he didn't come out this way. I went back upstairs and went past his room. He's gone. The nurse's were cleaning up some of the equipment that was in the room and I heard them talking. Apparently, this Boscorelli and his doctor have something going on and he went home with her. I'm trying to get the address," Danny explained.  
  
"Jesus!" Paulie said to himself. "Mr. Mason's not gonna be too happy about this Danny," he said to the man. "Look, what's the doctor's name?"  
  
"Tate. Dr. Jennifer Tate," Danny reported.  
  
"Okay, Paulie. You go to the bar that we talked about. I'll meet you there shortly and we'll talk about it more," Paulie said, knowing that Danny wasn't going to be talking to anyone shortly.  
  
"Okay, Paulie," Danny answered, hanging up the phone. Paulie dialed the man he'd talked to about taking Danny out and told him to take care of it - tonight.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	14. Chapter 14

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 14  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Yeah, Manny. You wanted to see me?" Faith asked as she pulled into the alley.  
  
"Yo! Officer Yokas! Where's your partner?" Manny asked looking into the car as he approached.  
  
"He's off for a while. He got hurt," Faith told him.  
  
"I heard something like that, but I figured if your partner was with you then I heard wrong, but since he's not around..." Manny said, trailing off as he looked up and down the alley nervously.  
  
"What'd you hear, Manny?" Faith said, losing patience.  
  
"I heard some things about someone wanting Bosco out of the picture, if you know what I mean," he said.  
  
"Yeah. Just about every perp he put away and some he hasn't. I need more information," she told him.  
  
"I don't know how good the info is, but I hear that the guy that got him hurt is still looking to finish the job. I don't have any more information, but I hear there's gonna be a meet between Mason and Martino here in the City in the near future," Manny reported.  
  
"How's this Mason supposed to be lookin' to finish the job," Faith asked, getting a very uneasy feeling.  
  
"I don't know. I just heard that Martino offered him any help he needed," Manny said, standing up and backing away from the car. "I already said too much, Officer Yokas."  
  
"Yeah, thanks, Manny. I'll keep it between you and me if I get asked. Let me know if you hear any more," Faith told him.  
  
"Sure thing," Manny replied, starting to walk down the alleyway.  
  
"I mean it Manny. This could be for real and I need to know anything you find out. Bosco's always been decent to you, don't forget that," she reminded him.  
  
"I hear you, Officer. I'll be in touch," Manny said, turning and leaving.  
  
Faith headed her car back to the station to talk to the Lieutenant about what she'd just found out.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
The phone rang at the information desk of the hospital and the volunteer answered the phone.  
  
"This is Trooper Kavanaugh from the New York State Troopers. I need to find out if a Maurice Boscorelli is still a patient at your hospital," said the Trooper.  
  
"Let me check for you. Uh, no. I don't show him as an admission at this hospital. Have you tried the other hospitals in the area?" asked the woman after looking up Bosco's name on the computer.  
  
"No. He was a patient. He must have been discharged. Thank you, Ma'am," replied Kavanaugh, hanging up.  
  
He dialed the number for the 55th Precinct and waited for the phone to be answered.  
  
"55th Precinct. How can I help you?" came the reply.  
  
"This is New York State Trooper Kavanaugh. I need to reach an Officer Faith Yokas or a Lieutenant Swersky as soon as possible," he said into the phone.  
  
"Hold on, please. I believe they're both in the station," said the Desk Sergeant as he transferred the call.  
  
"This is Lieutenant Swersky. Officer Yokas is here with me. What can we do for you?" asked the Lieutenant with a hint of worry after hearing Faith's story from Manny. He put the call on the speaker phone so that Faith could hear and talk also.  
  
"Sir, I was just wondering if either of you have talked to Officer Boscorelli since his release from the hospital?" asked Kavanagh.  
  
"No. He didn't come back to the City yet. I believe he's staying up in Albany for a couple of more days. Is there a problem?" the Lieutenant asked.  
  
"Well, Sir. We received information from Albany Police about a man found in the park who has since died from wounds he sustained in what we believe may have been an ordered hit," Kavanaugh relayed.  
  
"Go on," the Lieutenant said.  
  
"The guy's name was Danny Ortiz and he's known to work for Mason. He regained consciousness at the hospital just before he died. He knew that he was dying and made a dying declaration about being involved with Mason's recent escape, resulting in the death of your Detective Hogan and the injuries to Officer Boscorelli. He also stated that he knew who had shot him and that they were not done with Boscorelli yet," the Trooper advised them.  
  
"Yeah, well I just got some information from one of our informants down here that Bosco's in danger too. He told me that Mason is going to meet with Sonny Martino here in the City in the near future and that Martino offered to help Mason take care of Bosco," Faith relayed to Kavanaugh.  
  
"Boscorelli is still in Albany. He's staying with Jennifer Tate. We were just about to give him a call and let him know to keep an eye out. Can you advise Albany so they can keep an eye out also?" the Lieutenant asked.  
  
"Absolutely. My partner's on the phone with Albany PD now and I'll have him advise them right now. So, Boscorelli's staying with Dr. Tate, huh?" Kavanaugh said.  
  
"Yeah. You know her well?" Faith asked.  
  
"Yeah. She's great. She deserves some happiness. She's been through a lot," Kavanaugh said without elaborating.  
  
"Okay, we'll get hold of Bosco and you keep in touch. My guy's gonna let me know if he hears anything more," Faith told him.  
  
"Okay. I'm gonna go talk to Albany now. I'll have them do patrols in the area too," Kavanaugh said.   
  
They all hung up and the Lieutenant looked at Faith. "What do you think?"  
  
"Well, if I had any doubts, after hearing this information from Kavanaugh, I don't any more," Faith said with concern.  
  
"Call him," the Lieutenant said, nodding his agreement.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Bosco had breakfast with Jordan before she left for school and had spent the rest of the morning with Jennifer, just talking and laughing. They had gone out into the yard for a little while and enjoyed the sunshine.  
  
Now he sat in the bright kitchen with the sun shining in through the large windows. They had eaten lunch and Bosco was reading the newspaper as he glanced out at Jennifer hanging some clothes out on the line. She said she loved the smell of fresh air on the clothes. The phone rang and he stood up and took a few steps to grab it, not sure if he should answer her phone or not, as Jennifer came in the door.  
  
"You're not supposed to be walking on that," she admonished him and he rolled his eyes as she poked him in the ribs on her way by with the clothes.  
  
"Dr. Tate's residence," he answered.  
  
"What, you're the butler now?" Faith asked sarcastically.  
  
"Very funny. What's up?" he asked, mouthing to Jennifer that it was Faith.  
  
"Tell her I said 'hi'," Jennifer whispered to him.  
  
"Jen says 'hi," he relayed and Jennifer, who had her back to him, paused at hearing her name shortened. Jeff used to call her Jen. She half-listened as Bosco talked to Faith and then hung up.  
  
"Hey, you okay?" he asked her. She turned to him and he saw the sadness in her eyes.  
  
"Yeah. I'm fine. What did Faith want?" she asked, noticing the frown on his face.  
  
"Um. She had some news. I need to talk to you about it, but I need to know what's wrong first," he said, limping over toward her even though he wasn't supposed to.  
  
"It's nothing. It's silly, really," she said, blushing. She looked up at him as he moved alongside her and leaned against the counter. She knew he wasn't going to let it drop. "Another similarity," she thought to herself.  
  
"Jeff used to call me 'Jen,'" she said finally.  
  
"I'm sorry. It just sort of came out. If it bothers you, I won't do it anymore," he said, bending his neck to look into her downturned face.  
  
She shook her head. "I told you it was silly," she said, looking up at him and he kissed her.  
  
"It's not silly. It's totally understandable," he assured her quietly.  
  
"You can call me Jen," she said just as quietly. She tried to change the subject, "So, what did Faith have to say?"  
  
"C'mon in and sit down," he said, taking her hand and limping out to the living room as she protested him walking. "I'm fine. It really doesn't hurt," he assured her.  
  
"Fine, you're the one that has to walk on it for the rest of your life. If it doesn't heal right, you have no one to blame but yourself," she chastised him.  
  
"Yes, Mother," he said as they reached the couch and sat down. Bosco turned toward her and she didn't like the serious look on his face.  
  
"What is it?" she asked finally.  
  
"I need to leave," he said quickly and looked at her.  
  
"What? Why?" Jennifer asked him, a hurt expression on her face. "Is Faith okay? One of your other friends?"  
  
"No. Everyone's fine. But, Faith called to tell me that they have good information that the man that I was bringing down to the City when I got hurt is sending someone after me," he said, watching the worried look come over her face.  
  
"What? Why would he do that? He got away. Shouldn't he just cut his losses and leave?" she said, standing up and beginning to pace.  
  
He stood up to follow her as she paced and tried to understand what he was telling her. Finally, he said, "Okay. You were right. It hurts to walk on it. Please come sit down."  
  
She came over and sat down. "But, he doesn't know you're still here. He thinks you went back home, right? That's why Faith got the information down there. So, you're safe here," she reasoned.  
  
He paused, thinking for just a moment and then said, "He probably thinks I went back home, but I can't be sure. And I can't - no, I won't - put you and Jordan in danger. I care too much about you both. I know it's only been a short while, but I have more and more feelings for you every day, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to one or both of you," he said, taking her hands in his own.  
  
"But," she started, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door. She jumped and Bosco tensed, wondering if it was Mason or one of his men, then reasoning that they wouldn't knock.   
  
"Stay here," he instructed her as he limped toward the door and looked out. It was two uniformed police officers, their marked patrol car in the driveway. "It's okay. It's the police," he said, opening the door just enough to talk to them. "Yeah, what can I do for you," he said, taking his wallet out of his pocket and showing the officers his identification.  
  
"Officer Boscorelli. You're who we're looking for. We got a call from the   
New York State Police - Trooper Kavanaugh - and from your Lieutenant at the 55th Precinct. Just wanted to stop by and let you know that we're aware of the situation and we'll be constantly patrolling the area," one of the officers said.  
  
"Thanks," Bosco said, shaking the officers' hands. He opened the door as Jennifer came up behind him.  
  
"But, I'll be leaving. I'll stay in a hotel tonight and then head home in the morning," he told them.  
  
"No. He'll be staying here tonight," Jennifer said, catching Bosco's stare. "I'll send Jordan to my sister's for awhile."  
  
"Jen, I mean, Jennifer, no. I can't put you in any danger. I'll leave and then when we catch this guy, I'll come back," he said. "Thanks guys, I'll let you know where I'll be staying, just in case and I'll let you know when I'm leaving town. Thanks again for keeping an eye out."  
  
"No problem. Trooper Kavanaugh said to tell you he'll be giving you a call later," said one of the officers as they were leaving.  
  
"You're not staying in some hotel by yourself. You can't get around well enough yet. You'll stay here and that's the end of it," she said as she looked at the clock and realized it was time to get Jordan off the bus. "I have to get Jordan off the bus. Look, just sit down and get off that leg," she said with frustration.   
  
He watched her determination and knew that she wasn't going to back down. He didn't like it, but he'd stay here and they'd send Jordan to Jennifer's sister.  
"Damn, Boscorelli. How'd you find this one?" he asked himself as he smiled watching her walk to the end of the driveway as the bus approached. He was at the door looking around to make sure that there was no one lurking.   
  
As Jennifer called her sister and packed a bag for the reluctant child, Bosco spent some time with Jordan and promised that he would come back just as soon as his 'business' back home was taken are of. After a short time, Jennifer came downstairs with Jordan's things. "Here," she said, tossing a cane to Bosco.  
  
He caught it and gave her a look that said, "Where did this come from?"  
  
"I used it when I broke my foot a long time ago. If you're going to be walking around, at least use that," she said, getting Jordan's coat and ushering her out to the car as Bosco followed behind. They pulled out of the garage and headed to Jennifer's sister's house, not knowing that coming into the development from the other direction was Mason's right-hand man, Paulie.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	15. Chapter 15

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 15  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Paulie went through the neighborhood after finding Jennifer's house to survey the area. He ended up parking on the next street and slowly made his way through a couple of yards undetected. He looked through a few windows in the back of the house and tried the side door to the garage and found it unlocked. He opened it and went inside unseen. He heard the phone ring unanswered and saw that there was no car in the garage. He tried the door to the inside of the house - it was locked.  
  
"Dammit!" he thought to himself. He wanted to get inside before they got home and try to surprise them. That way there was less likelihood of any kind of struggle drawing attention from the neighbors. He thought about breaking into the house, but saw the elaborate alarm system alongside the door. He broke out in a sweat as he realized that even though the door from outside leading into the garage had been unlocked, it probably still set off the alarm to the alarm company and the police were probably already on their way.  
  
He'd have to leave and come back later. He quietly exited the way he came in, careful not to disturb anything. He left the door open so that it appeared that it wasn't shut tight and the wind had blown it open. He heard a siren in the distance and quickened his pace back to his car. He watched through the yards as a police car pulled up at the same time as another vehicle. The second vehicle pulled into the driveway and he saw a woman and a man with a cane get out and start talking to the police officer. He surmised that it was the cop and the doctor that had returned home and noticed that, as the uniformed officer must have explained why he was there, Bosco reached to his waist out of reflex for his weapon, but it wasn't there.  
  
"Good. He's unarmed," Paulie said to himself and smiled. "This'll be easier than I thought."  
  
He watched for a few more minutes as the police officer checked out the residence and, finding nothing but the door ajar, left as the woman put the car in the garage and the two walked in the garage and closed the door.  
  
Paulie decided to let things calm down and the police to get out of the neighborhood. He'd go have dinner first and return under cover of darkness.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
It had gotten dark and Bosco and Jennifer had just finished a light dinner.  
  
"So, how long d'you think your daughter's gonna be pissed at me?" he asked her, remembering the pout on Jordan's face as they left her with her aunt.  
  
"She'll be over it by the morning," Jennifer said, glancing out the back window from the sink into the yard. "I hope," she added after a moment and looked over her shoulder at Bosco who was sipping his coffee.  
  
"Why don't you go in the living room and start a fire. It's a nice, cool night," she suggested and watched him limp out of the kitchen. "How's your leg feeling? You've been giving it quite a workout today," she asked him.  
  
"It's a little sore, but nothing I can't live with," he said as he opened the flue and put some logs and kindling into the fireplace. He stood up and saw the fireplace matches on the mantle - next to a picture of Jennifer, Jordan and Jeff. She saw him notice the picture as she came up behind him.  
  
"Seems so long ago," she said quietly, as she lifted the picture up and looked at it.  
  
"Looks like happy times," Bosco said, trying to hide the jealousy he knew he had no right to feel.  
  
She smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah, this was at the park at a family picnic," she said as Bosco left her side and sat on the couch, draping his arm across the back of the couch as the fire caught. "But, like I said, it was a long time ago." She put the picture back and came over to sit next to him, leaning against him, with her head on his shoulder. He moved his arm so that it was around her and on her shoulder.  
  
They watched the fire for a few moments and they could each feel the other relax with the warmth. After a little while, she spoke.  
  
"Maurice?" she said quietly.  
  
"Mmmm?" he said as she brought her hand up and intertwined her fingers in his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"I know it hasn't been that long, but I feel like I know you really well. We've had some long talks these last few days," she said, staring at the fire.  
  
"We have," he acknowledged, letting her know that he was listening.  
  
"For a long time I thought I'd never be able to... I don't know, move on - although I'm not sure those are the right words - after Jeff was killed." Bosco listened and hoped she was leading to where he was pretty sure he wanted to go.  
  
"And now?" he asked her.  
  
"I've dated some, but I've never felt as connected with anyone as I have with you. Sometimes I feel even more than with Jeff. Is that terrible?" she asked looking up at him.  
  
He smiled, "No, that's not terrible. I'm sure that what you had with Jeff was great. You both had great jobs. You have a beautiful home and a beautiful daughter. I'm sure that if Jeff wasn't killed by that drunk driver, you'd be sitting here with him right now, just happy to be together," he said, looking back at the fire. "But, maybe there is more than one person for everyone, in case you lose one of them - like you lost Jeff," he said, pausing to think about what he'd just said.  
  
"I felt it the first time I met you," she said to him. "That night at the rest stop. I knew that I'd be coming to the City to take you up on your offer for a tour even if I didn't have a legitimate reason to go."  
  
He tightened his grip on her hand and she looked up at him again. "Is there someone waiting for you at home?" she asked him.  
  
He shook his head, "No. I've never felt anything like this before. It makes me nervous, but it's a good nervous." He looked down at her and after a moment, the two of them moved toward each other and kissed. The kiss grew and there was a sense of urgency in each of them as they started to deepen the kiss.   
  
Jennifer turned her body toward him and everything began to move faster and faster. Soon, they were exploring each other. Jennifer unbuttoned his shirt and helped him take it off, careful of his sore shoulder. She again marveled at his form beneath his t-shirt and began to trace along the healing scar on his shoulder. She leaned down and kissed it and Bosco closed his eyes and savored the feel of her lips on his skin. Bosco put a hand under her chin and lifted her head back up to his. While he looked into her eyes he slowly unbuttoned her blouse, looking for signs in her face that he was going too fast. There were none. He removed her blouse and took in a deep breath at her beauty.  
  
And so they went on, slowly exploring every inch of each other and progressing until some time later when they lay together on the couch, naked except for the blanket from the back of the couch that Jennifer had pulled over them after their lovemaking. The fire had died down and Bosco felt Jennifer shiver.  
  
"You okay?" he asked her in a whisper, hoping that she wasn't regretting what had just happened.  
  
"Mmmm. I'm just chilly," she said sleepily. He started to get up to get the fire going again, but she stopped him. "Thank you," she said as he looked at her.  
  
"For what?" he asked her.  
  
"For taking it slow. For understanding. Just for being you," she said, tracing his mouth with her fingers.  
  
"I should be thanking you," he said, leaning over to kiss her.  
  
"What for?" she asked with a smile.  
  
"For making me understand what love is. I thought I knew, but I didn't. Not until now," he said as they began kissing again. She pulled away from him slightly and he stopped and looked at her, puzzled.  
  
"You want me to get the fire going again first?" he asked her. She shook her head.  
  
"No. I want to take this upstairs. I want you to make love to me again and then we don't have to move again until the morning," she said, standing up, wrapping the blanket around her, and gathering her clothes from the floor. He watched her beauty in the moonlight shining through the window. He reached down to get his own clothes and that's when they heard it. A thud on the outside of the house. Jennifer looked at Bosco to see if it was just something she'd imagined.   
  
Bosco held a finger to his lips to tell her to stay quiet and then they heard a dog barking. "That's Rufus," she whispered to him. "He never makes a sound normally."  
  
Bosco quickly put his pants on and put on his t-shirt. "Go upstairs and call   
9-1-1," he whispered to her. He realized that Faith had brought his duty gun back to the City with her when she left and his off-duty gun was in his locker back at the house, where he'd left it went he went on duty the day of the accident.  
  
"Do you have any of Jeff's guns left here?" he whispered to her again as they moved toward the stairs.  
  
She nodded, "Upstairs. Locked in the safe on the top shelf of my closet. The key is on a hook in his - the dresser," she told him. He pushed her in the direction of the stairs as they heard someone try to turn the doorknob on the back door.  
  
"Go," Bosco told her in a whisper. Jennifer climbed the stairs as Bosco followed her. When they reached her room, she went toward the phone as Bosco went to what must have been Jeff's dresser. He felt for the hook and found the key as Jennifer dialed the phone. There was a crash as they heard a pane of glass break downstairs.  
  
"Maurice," Jennifer said in a loud whisper, the fear evident in her voice. He looked at her.  
  
"There's no dial tone," she told him.  
  
"Dammit! He must have cut the phone line and my cell phone is downstairs on the table," he said. He moved quietly across the room and opened the closet door. He reached the safe where Jennifer said it would be and opened it. He took out a gun, very similar to his own, and put the bullets in it. "Is there another way downstairs?" he asked her, not having been upstairs earlier to know. She shook her head no.  
  
"Okay. I want you to follow me down, but I don't want you right on top of me. Let me start down and wait for me to wave you down. When you get to the bottom of the stairs, I want you to head for the garage and go for help," he instructed her.  
  
She shook her head no and said, "The car keys are in the kitchen with my purse."  
  
"I don't care. Go out the door and to the neighbors house and call the police," he said to her. She nodded her head that she understood.  
  
"You come out with me. Let the police handle this," she said.   
  
"I AM the police, remember?" he reminded her. "Let's go," he said, taking off the safety on the gun.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	16. Chapter 16

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 16  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Beginning of the Shift....  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
"Is your partner upstate?" Manny asked Faith as he walked over to her car. She had a message when she got in to work to meet him. She'd been tied up on calls until now.  
  
"How'd you know that?" she asked him, knowing instantly that he had more information.  
  
"Because word has it that Mr. Martino is headed upstate to 'take care of some unfinished business' for a colleague," Manny told her.  
  
"Spill it, Manny," Faith said, tired of the games.  
  
"I heard it around. Martino is headed upstate to meet with Mason who's having a problem with a particular cop - I think we both know who he's referring to," Manny said smugly.  
  
"Yeah, and?" Faith prodded him.  
  
"And, they're gonna take care of two things at once. Their deal and Boscorelli - I don't know in which order."  
  
"You have information on when he's gonna go up there?" Faith asked him, reaching for her radio to get hold of the Lieutenant.  
  
"He's leaving about now, I think," Manny said, looking at his watch. Faith gave him a look.  
  
"Hey, Officer Yokas. I called you way earlier than this," he said in his own defense.  
  
"Thanks, Manny," Faith said, putting the car in drive, pulling away and talking into the radio.  
  
"55-David to Central," she said.  
  
"Go 55-David," came the dispatcher's response.  
  
"Patch me through to the Lieutenant," Faith requested.  
  
"55-David. Go with the Lieutenant," the dispatcher advised after a moment.  
  
"Lieu, we got a problem upstate. I'm on my way into the house now. You need to call Albany and tell them to check on that address. I'll fill you in when I get there," she said,  
  
"10-4, Yokas. I'll make the call right now," the Lieutenant replied.  
  
Faith then reached for her cell phone and dialed Bosco's number. She got his voice mail. His phone must have been turned off. She left a message. "Bos, it's Faith. It's 5:00. I got information that Martino is meeting with Mason in Albany and then they're coming after you - or maybe first. I'm calling Albany P.D. Be careful," she said, before hanging up.   
  
She pulled out her notebook and looked up Jennifer's home number and dialed the phone. It just rang, but no answering machine picked up either and she thought it was odd for a doctor not to have an answering machine. She would later find out that the phone line had already been cut.   
  
Faith reached the station and parked the car and headed in to the station as the Lieutenant rushed out. "Let's go. We got permission from the Captain to head up to Albany. I talked to Albany and they said they'll send a patrol car by and call me on my cell to let me know," he said as they headed back toward 55-David."  
  
They had been on the Thruway for about an hour when the Lieutenant's phone rang. Faith listened to the Lieutenant's half of the conversation and when he hung up she waited for him to tell her what was going on.  
  
"Albany had a car over there earlier," he said and Faith looked at him.  
  
"For what?" she asked.  
  
"Apparently, they weren't home earlier and the alarm system got tripped. The alarm company got no response so they sent the police. They got home just as the unit arrived and looked the place over. Nothing was wrong - they figured the door to the garage wasn't shut tight and the wind blew it open. They checked the house then left," he finished.  
  
"Now what?" Faith asked as the sign on the road showed 40 more miles to Albany.  
  
"They said they've had cars patrolling the area and will increase it. I told them what was going on and they're sending another car over there now to talk to Bosco," he relayed.  
  
Either on purpose or unconsciously, Faith accelerated. She just had a bad feeling about this.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Bosco started down the stairs, holding his hand up behind him to tell Jennifer to wait. He heard another sound in the kitchen and stopped on the step to listen. He heard another pane of glass break and the dog next door barked some more. Whoever it was, wasn't in the house yet. He waved Jennifer down behind him and when she reached him she clung close to his back. They went down the stairs until they reached the bottom step and listened carefully again. Bosco looked around the darkened rooms and saw no movement in the moonlight. He looked toward the door to the garage and didn't see any signs of danger. He pushed Jennifer toward the door with his back to her, facing the kitchen. He heard the door in the kitchen open slowly just as they reached the door to the garage.  
  
"Go," he told her. "Go next door and call for help. Do NOT come back in here," he stressed to her.   
  
"Come with me," she pleaded with him. He shook his head.  
  
"No. If I don't take care of this now, he'll come back another time," he whispered.  
  
"I love you," she said, kissing him on the neck as he opened the door and rushed her outside.   
  
"I love you, too," he whispered before closing the door. "I'll be right out. Be careful and keep your eyes open in case he's not alone. Make sure to tell the police I'm in here," he added at the last moment and touched her face.  
  
Jennifer made her way through the dark garage and out the side door. She looked around as her eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight. She walked around the side to the driveway to go next door to get help. She took a step out and tripped over something. She looked down to see a man lying on the sidewalk and jumped back managing to hold in a scream. She looked down the driveway and saw a police car parked at the bottom of the driveway. She looked back down and saw that it was a police officer lying on the ground in front of her. He must have stumbled across the guy and paid for it. She crouched down and felt for a pulse. He had a pulse and she whispered that she'd be back with help and ran across the driveway to the house next door, causing Rufus to bark again.  
  
"Rufus, quiet!" she whispered loudly. "It's me," she told the dog and he seemed to settle down. She knocked on the front door and was relieved when the light inside came on. "Who's there?" came the man's voice from inside the door.  
  
"Jerry, it's Jennifer. I need you to call the police and an ambulance. There's a man in my house with a gun. Tell them to hurry, Jerry," Jennifer finished as Jerry opened the door.  
  
"Jennifer! What's going on?" he asked as Jennifer rushed inside.  
  
"Jerry, just call the police first. I'll explain after that. And make sure they send an ambulance and tell them one of their officer's is hurt in my driveway," she said, pushing Jerry toward his phone as his wife, Alicia, came downstairs.  
  
Alicia came over to Jennifer and led her to the couch, feeling Jennifer tremble. Alicia asked Jennifer what was going on, but Jennifer waited until she heard Jerry give all the information to the 9-1-1 operator first. "Where's your friend?" Alicia asked her.  
  
"Wait, Jerry! Tell them that New York City Police Officer Boscorelli is inside the house already," she remembered and he relayed the information and hung up. Jennifer's attention was caught by the flashing lights coming down the road. "That was fast," Jerry said as they all stood up. "Jennifer, what's going on?"  
  
"In a minute, Jerry. Thanks," she said, walking out the front door and down the steps. She didn't recognize the police car as one of the Albany police units, but recognized Faith's form coming up the driveway with another officer.  
  
"Faith," she called and both officers stopped.  
  
"Jennifer! Where's Bosco?" she asked as Jennifer rushed over to her.  
  
"He's inside. There's an officer down over there in the driveway," she told them. "The police and an ambulance are on the way. Please, Faith. Go help him."  
  
"Okay, stay here," the Lieutenant said, pushing her back toward the neighbor's door and motioning for them to take her in the house.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^  
  
Paulie heard the dog barking again as he came through the door. He looked around to get accustomed to the layout of the house, all the time wary about Bosco's whereabouts.  
  
Bosco was slowly making his way toward the kitchen, trying not to make too much noise with his cast. He held the gun in front of him. He was just about to enter the kitchen when he saw the flashing lights of an oncoming patrol car. He breathed a sigh of relief when he knew backup was there, because he knew that it meant Jennifer had made it to a neighbor's house safely.  
  
He was close enough to the intruder to hear him take in a breath at the site of the flashing lights outside the window. He knew now was as good a time as any to surprise the intruder while he was distracted by the commotion outside. Bosco peeked quickly around the corner and located the man in the corner of the kitchen.  
  
"NYPD. Put your weapon down," Bosco ordered the man.  
  
"Can't do that Officer Boscorelli," came the reply. "I have my orders."  
  
"Yeah, well I don't give a damn about your orders. You see the police are outside and I'm sure there's more coming, so it'd be suicide for you to try anything now," Bosco tried to reason as the sound of sirens got closer.  
  
"I'm dead if I don't do it," Paulie told him. "Mason'll see to that," he added.  
  
"Well, drop your weapon and you can help us take Mason down. Then you won't have to worry about him anymore," Bosco said, moving around the corner and pointing his weapon at Paulie. Paulie had his gun up also and it looked like a stand-off.  
  
"Yeah, right. Mason's bigger than that. He's got people everywhere. I won't be safe anywhere," Paulie said as he slowly moved his free hand toward his back pocket, the motion undetected by Bosco in the dark. He felt his hand grip the knife that was in his pocket. He'd throw it at his target and then follow it up with a gunshot he planned to himself.  
  
"You know you can't win this. Just put the weapon down and give it up. He's not worth dying for," Bosco continued taking another step closer.  
  
Faster than Bosco could see, Paulie's arm moved and Bosco sensed something was coming at him rather than seeing it. He used his arm to knock the knife away at the same time that Paulie took careful aim with his gun.   
  
In that split second, two shots rang out in the night. Jennifer cringed as Alicia grasped her more tightly. "Oh my God," she thought to herself. "Not again," she finished her thought, thinking that she'd lost Maurice.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	17. Chapter 17

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 17  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Got it. Thanks," Trooper Kavanaugh said in to the phone before hanging up. He turned to his partner. "Franklin. Let's roll. We've got a lead," he told him. Both men grabbed their gear and headed out as Kavanaugh's phone rang.  
  
"Kavanaugh," he answered.  
  
"This is Lieutenant Morley at Albany P.D. I just wanted to let you know what was going down in case you haven't heard," the man on the other end said.  
  
"Yeah. We've got the information on the deal going down between Mason and Martino. We're on our way to follow-it up now. You got units rolling there too?" Kavanaugh asked, not wanting to get anyone caught in cross-fire if the situation arose.  
  
"What? No. You'll have to fill me in on that if you want backup. I'm talking about the situation at the Tate residence," Morley said.  
  
Kavanaugh stopped short, causing Franklin to almost walk into him. "What situation at the Tate residence," he said, looking at his partner and the two rushed out to their car.  
  
"Well, we got a call from NYPD that Martino was on his way up here to take care of that officer. We sent a unit over there and haven't heard from him. We're sending more units and... What? Hang on a minute," the Lieutenant said into the phone.  
  
Kavanaugh and Franklin were in their unit headed to the location the informant had told them about. The Lieutenant came back to the phone, "We just got a 9-1-1 call from the neighbor that there's an intruder in the house and that one of our officer's is down in her driveway. We've got EMS on the way and our units should be there in seconds. I'm heading there now."  
  
"We're heading over there too," Kavanaugh said into the phone. He ended the call and told his partner, "Head over to Dr. Tate's house. Something's going down. There's an officer down already."  
  
Franklin sped up the vehicle and they headed over to Dr. Tate's house.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Bosco heard the shots at the same time he saw a beam of light hit Paulie and he returned fire. He saw his shot go just to the left of the intruder, but was surprised when he saw the man in front of him fall to the ground.  
  
"You're reflexes are getting a little slow, aren't they, Boscorelli?" came the familiar voice from behind him as Bosco hurried over to the fallen man to assure that he was not able to get his weapon and fire on anyone else.   
  
"Yeah, well, I'm injured. What's your excuse? It took you two hours to get here. What's up with that?!" Bosco teased the Lieutenant as he turned the man over and kicked his weapon away. He knelt down to feel for a pulse and found one. He looked at his wound. He'd live.  
  
"Yeah, well, we hit traffic," Faith said, coming up behind Bosco with her handcuffs out to cuff the man. Lieutenant Swersky called over his shoulder to have EMS come in as the Albany units arrived on the scene. "You alright?" she asked him after she'd cuffed Paulie who was regaining consciousness.  
  
"Yeah, never better," he said, sitting down on a chair in the kitchen. His leg was killing him, but he wasn't about to let on to that. "Thanks," he said to his friends as the Albany officers converged on the scene.   
  
"Yeah, well you better go tell Jennifer that. She's next door," Faith reminded him.  
  
"Oh yeah," he said, standing up and limping over to the door. He stopped at the door. "You're a little out of your jurisdiction, Lieu. The paperwork! Glad I'm out on sick leave and don't have to worry about it," said Bosco over his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, well your gonna have to write up a statement anyway," the Lieutenant reminded him.  
  
"Uh huh," Bosco said, turning to walk outside. He saw the EMS crew working on the officer in the driveway and stopped.  
  
"He gonna be okay?" Bosco asked the medics as they sat the man up and he groaned.  
  
"Yeah. Luckily, he only took a blow to the head. He'll have a headache for awhile, but he'll recover," one of the medics told him.  
  
"Thanks, man," Bosco said, shaking the officer's hand for trying to assist him. He stood up and turned to see Jennifer standing in the light from the police cars. He could see the tears on her face and limped over to her.  
  
As he reached her, she started to cry harder and he just embraced her in his arms. "It's okay. It's all over," he said softly, as he rubbed her back and felt her tremble.  
  
"I thought...," she said, not able to finish the sentence.   
  
"No way. Not now that I found you," he said, pulling her back away from him so he could see her face. He leaned into her and kissed her as Faith and the Lieutenant came out of the house, following the stretcher bearing Paulie.  
  
"What's going on around here?" the Lieutenant said to Faith.  
  
"Looks like Bosco's got a new girlfriend," Faith said, smiling as she walked back to their patrol car. She had to call Fred to tell him that she'd be a little late tonight and why.  
^*^*^*^**  
  
"Oh, get a room already!" Kavanaugh said as he and Franklin came up behind Jennifer and Bosco. The two parted and laughed as Bosco turned to shake hands.  
  
"Everyone alright?" Franklin asked, looking at Bosco and the scene over his shoulder.  
  
"It is now," Bosco said as he put an arm around Jennifer's shoulder and felt how cold she was. "C'mon. Let's get you inside," he said. "You want to come in?" he asked the Troopers.  
  
"Actually, we're on our way to break up a meeting between Mason and Martino. We got a call about this while we were on our way and stopped by here first," Kavanaugh said, looking at his watch.  
  
"Really," Bosco said with interest as Faith and the Lieutenant came over. Kavanaugh relayed his information to them and asked if Faith and the Lieutenant would like to come along.  
  
"Absolutely," the Lieutenant responded.  
  
"Hang on. Let me get a jacket," Bosco said, turning to go in the house.  
  
"You're on sick leave, Boscorelli," the Lieutenant reminded him.  
  
"Lieu, I can't not see this through to the end. I promise, I'll just watch. I couldn't keep up with you guys anyway," he reasoned, bending over to knock on his cast with his knuckles.  
  
The Lieutenant pointed his finger at Bosco as he'd done so many times in the past to make his point and said, "From the car, Bosco. I mean it."  
  
"I promise, Boss," Bosco said, turning to look at Jennifer who was none too pleased about Bosco going along.  
  
"I have to see this through, Jen," he said, unaware that he'd shortened her name again. She had to admit that she melted when he said it.  
  
"From the car, Maurice. I mean it," she said, repeating the Lieutenant's words. Bosco kissed her and ran into the house to get his jacket. He came back out a moment later and stopped at Jennifer.  
  
"Look. I don't know what the story is with this Mason and Martino guy. But, they know where I was and they came to your house. I don't want you here until I know these guys are in custody and are no longer a threat. Can you go to your sister's house until I call you?" he asked her.  
  
"Yeah. I don't really want to go back in there yet anyway," she said, looking back at the house nervously.  
  
"Okay. Here's your purse," he said, handing them to her along with her jacket that he'd grabbed. "I'll call you as soon as everything's done," he said. "I talked to one of the Albany guys and they'll take you there," he said, kissing her again and heading to 55-David.  
  
"Be careful," she called after him and he turned and winked at her.   
  
"Always," he said, getting in the car and closing the door.   
  
Jennifer watched them pull away and thought to herself, "Jennifer Tate. What are you getting yourself in to?"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	18. Chapter 18

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 18  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
They were driving towards an old warehouse, following behind Kavanaugh and Franklin. Faith looked in the rearview mirror in time to see Bosco wince with the pain that his leg was giving him.  
  
"You alright, Bos?" she asked him and the Lieutenant turned his head to look at him.  
  
He removed the pained look from his face and said, "Yeah. Fine. So, where are we headed?"  
  
"Troopers say they have information that Mason and Martino are meeting up at an old warehouse down by the Port of Albany where they plan on exchanging cash for the drugs. Apparently, Mason thinks your already dead because the guy in Dr. Tate's house - Paulie - told him that the guy Albany PD found in the park that later died had done the job. He never got a chance to tell him otherwise," the Lieutenant told him.  
  
"Well, won't they both be surprised when they see me alive and well," Bosco said with a smirk.  
  
"You're to stay in the car. This is the Troopers' gig and I don't want to take a chance of you getting hurt any more," the Lieutenant stressed - again with his finger pointing at Bosco.  
  
"Yes, Sir," Bosco acknowledged. "I just wanna see the look on their faces when they see me," he added.  
  
"Well, once they're in custody, you can come out of the dark and surprise them," Faith said as they pulled up to the curb behind the unmarked Trooper car. They all got out and met in front of Kavanaugh's car.  
  
"That's the building up there - just to the left. We don't want to get any closer than right here for now. We have our and Albany's plainclothes units infiltrating the area gradually for the last hour so we don't draw too much attention all at once. My informant says that the two of them are in there with their men, heavily armed. He says that there was a semi making a delivery earlier - we're assuming that's the drugs. The truck is still parked at the loading dock of the warehouse," Franklin explained.  
  
A voice came over the radio and Kavanaugh answered, "10-4. Wait for my 'go,'" he advised the other units after being informed that everyone was in position.  
  
"You want us to do anything?" the Lieutenant asked.  
  
"Of course, Lieutenant. I thought I'd have you and Officer Yokas come in with us. You up for that?" Kavanaugh asked them.  
  
"Absolutely," Faith said, removing her gun from her holster and re-checking that the clip was full. The Lieutenant did the same and everyone looked at Bosco.  
  
"What's up?" Franklin asked, observing the look on Bosco's face.  
  
"Oh, that. Nothing. He's just upset that he can't come out and play today," Faith said, patting Bosco on the back.  
  
"Ahhhh. I see," Kavanaugh said, turning to open the back door of his unit and retrieving a radio from the back floor. He handed it to Bosco and said, "You can listen in if you want."  
  
"Thanks," Bosco said, somewhat placated, but not much. He still had a pout on his face.  
  
"I promise I'll tell you all about it, Bos," Faith teased some more, eliciting a disgusted look from Bosco.  
  
"Okay. Let's get ourselves into position," Kavanaugh said as the four walked up the sidewalk in the dark.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?" Jennifer's sister, Kathy, asked her again as she gave her a cup of hot tea.  
  
"Yeah. I'm just a little keyed-up," Jennifer assured her sister. She had just returned from checking on Jordan for the fifth time in the hour since she'd been dropped off by the police officer. Jordan was sleeping soundly after a full evening of playing with her cousins.  
  
"Well, I don't know why. Doesn't someone break into your kitchen every night? You'd think you'd be used to it by now - almost expect it," her sister teased.  
  
"It's still so unbelieveable," Jennifer said, thinking of Maurice and hoping that he was safe. She remembered some of the stories from his partner and friends - and from his mother - about how he was always in the middle of everything - how he loved his job.  
  
"Jen?" her sister repeated. Apparently, she had asked Jennifer a question, but she didn't hear her.  
  
"What?" Jennifer asked, taking a sip of her tea.  
  
"I said, 'What's going on with you and this Bosco?'" she repeated with a grin.  
  
"Bosco? How do you know his nam...? Okay, what'd Jordan tell you? You know she blows everything out of proportion," Jennifer said, blushing.  
  
"Well, I'd say from the blush on your face that she wasn't too far off. She really likes this guy, Jen. She's not gonna get hurt, is she?" Kathy asked her. She was liking this conversation. They hadn't talked into the wee hours of the morning since they were kids still living at home. They'd talk for hours in their rooms after their dates, only to be yelled at to go to sleep by their parents after a while.  
  
"He's... I don't know. He's really something," Jennifer said.  
  
"You - at a loss for words?!?!? I don't believe it!" she teased her.  
  
"Stop. It's just that. In some ways he's so like Jeff and in others nothing like Jeff. I don't know. He'll say something just like Jeff used to say it and I get this terrible guilt feeling," Jennifer explained.  
  
"Jen. Jeff's been gone for a little over two years now. You loved each other so much and he was great and we all miss him. But, do you honestly think that he'd want you to just sit alone, missing him, forever?" Kathy reasoned.  
  
"I know. I know. I tell myself that a thousand times a day. I'm working on it. But, Maurice has been great about it. He understands and he's not rushing me," she said, smiling as she remembered their night of love before everything went crazy.  
  
"Jen?" Kathy said, leaning forward to look at her sister's downturned face. "Oh my God! You slept with him!"  
  
"What? Of course not. What would give you that idea?" Jennifer said, not doing a very good job of lying.  
  
"Jennifer Tate! You know you can't lie to me. I know what every one of your faces and expressions means. And I can tell by the look in your eyes that you did," she said, laughing.   
  
Jennifer tried to stifle her laugh, but was unsuccessful. "It was - wonderful. He was so tender and worried about what I wanted. It was just, I don't know - amazing. I hate to say this, but I don't think I was this comfortable with Jeff when we first made love. It was just so...," she said trailing off.  
  
"Right," Kathy completed for her. Jennifer looked at her sister and nodded.   
  
"I'm so happy for you, Jen. What are you gonna tell Jordan?"  
  
"Woah! I'm not telling her anything. As far as she knows, we're just two friends. I'm - we're - taking it very slowly. I mean, I work and live here and he works and lives in New York City. From what I've heard from his mother and his friends, he loves his job and lives it. I don't know that he'd want to leave that behind. And I don't want to uproot Jordan. All her friends are here, her school. I just... This is way too early to be talked about anyway. We're just getting to know each other," she finished, taking a deep breath that formed into a yawn.  
  
Kathy stood up. "I'm sure you'll work it out if it's meant to be. You need to get some rest. The guest room is all ready because Jordan wanted to sleep in Rebecca's room for a slumber party." She thanked and hugged her sister and headed toward the bedroom. She stopped and went back to her purse and took out her cell phone. "He's supposed to call me to let me know he's okay," she explained to Kathy as she tried to hide the concern and worry in her face.  
  
"Jen. He's gonna be fine. I know you're worried about him getting killed doing his job, but you can't dwell on that. You could be with anyone and they could still die. From what you've told me, he's very good at his job. He'll be fine."  
  
"I know you're right, Kathy. It's just. I don't know. It's just me being me," Jennifer said.  
  
"Yeah, the family worrier. Some things never change. Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning," Kathy said, turning out the lights in the living room and heading to her room too.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	19. Chapter 19

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 19  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Bosco watched the four of them take up position just out of sight of the warehouse. He listened on the radio as final plans were confirmed among the team members preparing to enter the warehouse.  
  
He marveled at how different the radio procedures were between Albany and home. He could still figure out what they were talking about, but it took a moment because he didn't know what their codes meant. But, after a while it started to make sense and he leaned back against the car to listen to the raid play out. He wanted so badly to be in there with them. He didn't like letting Faith go into these situations on her own. They knew how each other's minds worked and could talk to each other without even saying a word.   
  
"At least," thought Bosco, "she has the Lieutenant with her." He listened to the tenseness of Kavanaugh's voice as he gave the order to move in. It wasn't that the Trooper was scared, it was just that no matter how well these things are planned out, there's always the potential for something to go wrong - the unexpected element was always out there, waiting to make an appearance at the worst possible moment. He felt himself tense as the teams moved in and waited for the voice over the radio to announce that the scene was secure and that all suspects were in custody.  
  
After a moment, he heard each of the teams announce that their section was clear or secure and that they had subjects in custody. He relaxed and leaned back against the car, feeling the butt of the gun that he'd used at Jennifer's house against his back. He continued to listen to the now relaxed chatter between the teams on the radio as he noticed two cars coming down the street, their lights out and moving at a fairly fast pace.  
  
As Bosco felt the hairs on the back of his next stand up along with the feeling of dread creep into his stomach he crouched down along the car, out of sight. He watched the two vehicles pull up in front of the warehouse and a group of about eight men exit the vehicles. He immediately knew that an ambush was going down.  
  
Bosco grabbed the radio and keyed the microphone, "10-13, 10-13, Ambush!" At the same time, he glanced up at the street sign and opened the door to the unmarked Trooper car. He grabbed the microphone of the car radio, knowing that this radio was on the right frequency to call for back-up from outside of their operation. He said in to the microphone, "This is NYPD Officer Boscorelli, Shield Number 3359. Requesting assistance for officers being ambushed at the raid at South Swan Street. Repeat, officers need assistance. Ambush in progress." He waited a moment and was immediately acknowledged by the dispatcher on the other end of the radio.  
  
"10-4 NYPD Officer. Additional units are on the way and I am contacting Albany PD also. They have been advised of your presence on the scene."  
  
Bosco was relieved that his transmission was received. He turned back toward the group of men that had just exited the two vehicles and watched as they readied their weapons to enter the warehouse. He keyed the microphone to the portable radio and again transmitted, "10-13, 10-13, Ambush! Faith, Ambush!"  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
The teams were in the process of taking the remaining few players into custody. It went surprisingly well and they took their targets by surprise. They caught Martino and Mason in the process of transacting business and Faith thought how upset Bosco would be to have missed the surprised looks on the men's faces at the sight of the task force in that warehouse.  
  
Just as they were in the process of gathering everyone and heading out of the building, Kavanaugh's portable radio came to life with an urgent voice, "10-13, 10-13, Ambush!"  
  
"What the heck is that?" Kavanaugh asked, looking at Franklin as Faith and the Lieutenant came up behind them with their prisoners.  
  
"No idea," Franklin said as, after a moment, they heard it again, "10-13, 10-13, Ambush! Faith, Ambush!" The Troopers looked over at Faith questioningly.  
  
"That's Bosco. He's telling us that we're about to be ambushed," Faith said, taking her gun back out of her holster along with the Lieutenant. "10-13 means Officers need assistance," she explained again, taking the portable from Kavanaugh.  
  
"Bos. 10-4 on that message. What information do you have?" she asked him.  
  
The response she received was, "Approximately eight subjects, entering the warehouse, heavily armed. I've called for assistance and they're in route," Bosco responded as he heard the sound of approaching sirens in the distance.  
  
Knowing that all the teams had radios and heard the same information as he did, Franklin took the radio from Faith and said, "All teams, take up positions."  
  
The teams all snapped into motion, preparing for the onslaught about to be brought upon them.  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^**  
  
Bosco finished advising Faith and heard the sirens getting closer. He reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet. He removed his badge and fastened it to his belt so that it was visible to the arriving police units. He took his gun out of his waistband and started toward the warehouse. He wasn't about to let his friends and co-workers be ambushed.  
  
The eight men started to enter the building, but were stopped by someone behind them. "Police! Drop your weapons and put your hands up where we can see them," Bosco ordered. He wanted them to think there were more than just himself at that time. As if rehearsed, half of the group turned to face in Bosco's direction, the other half remained facing the warehouse, guns at the ready.  
  
Bosco repeated, "Police! Drop your weapons and put your hands where we can see them."  
  
As a couple of police units pulled down the street, with lights and sirens echoing through the night, the half facing Bosco opened fire into the darkness toward Bosco's voice. Bosco returned fire as the other arriving officers took up positions. An officer came up alongside Bosco, "You NYPD?"  
  
"Yeah, Boscorelli," he said introducing himself. "The task force is still inside the warehouse. I advised them what's going on, so I'm guessing they're taking up positions inside."  
  
The officer relayed the information into his radio as the gunfire continued. The four facing the warehouse made their way inside and Bosco brought the radio up and said, "Faith. Four are coming in. The other four are facing us. Be careful."  
  
"10-4, Bos. We're ready," Faith answered as they heard the subjects making their way into the building.  
  
Bosco and the other arriving officers were returning gunfire on those that were firing on them. Bosco hit one and two others were hit by the other officers, leaving one hiding behind a dumpster.  
  
The officer that was with Bosco yelled, "Throw your weapon out and come out. Let me see your hands."  
  
After a moment, the suspect threw his weapon out and emerged from behind the dumpster.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	20. Chapter 20

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 20  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The teams on the inside of the warehouse had received Bosco's transmission that the perps were entering the building and were preparing to head off the ambush. Faith noticed that the gunfire outside the building had quieted and was relieved to hear Bosco's voice to her on the radio so that she knew that he was okay. She looked over to see where Lt. Swersky was located and then looked over to Troopers Kavanaugh and Franklin. They had moved their prisoners out of harm's way in the event that gunfire was exchanged. Suddenly, there was a noise in the hallway outside of the room they were in and one of the prisoners yelled out to warn the gunmen where they were.  
  
The officers inside the building remained quiet and listened for any noise that would tell them where the group was outside the doorway. Faith noticed a doorway on the other side of the room and signaled to the Lieutenant and the Troopers that she was going to make her way around and see if she could come in behind them. She knew there were only four of them from Bosco's transmission. The Lieutenant acknowledged her signals and signaled that he was going to go with her. They slowly and quietly made their way to the alternate doorway and peeked around the corner quickly. As she did so, the loose door jam that she was leaning against creaked, drawing attention. The four men turned and opened fire. Faith and the Lieutenant stepped back as Kavanaugh and Franklin came out from the other side.   
  
Half of the group turned to return fire on the Troopers while the other two remained trained on Faith and the Lieutenant's location. Faith felt a burning pain in her shoulder as a bullet ricocheted off the metal doorframe and entered her shoulder. At the same time, she heard Franklin yell out that Kavanaugh had been hit.  
^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Bosco, the Albany Police and State Troopers were finishing putting their prisoners into cars to be transported for booking when they heard the gunfire break out inside the building.   
  
As they were grouping outside to enter the building to back-up their fellow officers, Franklin came over the radio. "Shots fired. We have a Trooper down. Repeat, we have a Trooper down."  
  
"10-4," replied one of the Troopers outside with Bosco. "Be advised, we're coming in. Repeat, we are entering the building. EMS is standing-by." Suddenly, the gunfire died down and another transmission was heard.  
  
"We have all suspects in custody. Send in EMS. We have a Trooper down and numerous perps down."  
  
Bosco took out his phone and made a call as he watched EMS enter the building and, a few moments later, brought out the injured Trooper Kavanaugh. He walked up to the stretcher to see how badly he was hurt. He had a leg wound and was in pain, but it appeared that he'd be alright. "Tell me you didn't kill Mason," Bosco said to Kavanaugh.  
  
He shook his head and said, "No. I wouldn't deprive you of the pleasure of bringing him out. They've got him in there. I told them to let you come get 'em."  
  
"Thanks, man," Bosco said, reaching out to shake the Troopers hand. "I called Jennifer. She's on her way to the hospital for you, but don't be getting any ideas."  
  
"Hey, I tried that already. She's all yours," the injured man replied, getting a second glance from Bosco as he was loaded into the ambulance.  
  
Bosco made his way toward the building as the other prisoners were being led out. He watched as Lieutenant Swersky brought Martino out of the building. He walked up to the man and said, "Good to see you again, Martino. Glad I could be here for the party." The man saw who was talking to him and only growled as he was led away.  
  
He continued up the stairs and came upon Faith who was standing in front of Mason. He noticed the blood on her shoulder and quickly came over to her. "Faith, are you alright?" he asked with concern.  
  
"Yeah. Just a flesh wound," she joked. "I believe this is who you're after, Officer Boscorelli," she said as she stepped aside and a look of shock came over Mason's face. Bosco stepped forward and took hold of Mason's arm, unable to contain the grin on his face.  
  
"Now, where were we?" Bosco asked with a puzzled look on his face as he led Mason out into the night air. "Oh yeah. You were on your way to New York City, but this time you'll be facing the death penalty for the murder of one and attempted murder of another New York City Police Officer.  
  
"How?" was all Mason could manage to say.  
  
"Just livin' right," Bosco said, handing the prisoner off to one of the Albany Officers for transport to their holding cells until the DAs sorted it all out.  
  
Franklin came up to Bosco and Faith as she was having her shoulder looked at by EMS. They were preparing to transport her to the hospital and Bosco would ride with her. The Lieutenant would give Franklin a ride over to the hospital to check on Kavanaugh. He shook Bosco's hand and inquired as to Faith's condition.  
  
"Man, it's a good thing your partner was with us, Boscorelli," Franklin said with a smile.  
  
"Why's that?" Bosco asked.  
  
"Because around here, 10-13 means meal break," the Trooper joked and turned to leave with the Lieutenant as they all started to laugh.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC... 


	21. Chapter 21

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 21  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
This time it was Bosco that was waiting in the hospital for news on HIS partner. Bosco had contacted Jennifer on her cell phone at her sister's house from the scene of the shooting. He could tell that she was relieved to hear his voice and find out that he was okay, but she was concerned over the fate of Faith and Kavanaugh. Jennifer had arrived at the hospital at the same time as Kavanaugh and was already in the operating room by the time Faith came in with Bosco in the other ambulance. He had called Fred and he was on his way up from the City. Bosco had assured him that she was gonna be fine, but he was sure that Fred was breaking speed limis to get here.  
  
"Are you sure you're supposed to be walking around that much?" came a voice intruding on Bosco's thoughts. He turned to the voice and saw Lieutenant Swersky and Trooper Franklin coming back with coffee.  
  
"What?" Bosco asked, not sure what the Lieutenant had asked him.  
  
"Your toes are turning purple in that cast. I think you should probably sit down and give your leg a break - no pun intended," the Lieutenant said as everyone looked down at Bosco's foot. After seeing how swollen his toes were he suddenly started to feel the pain in his leg.   
  
"Maybe you're right," he admitted, walking over and sitting down. Just then, an elderly nurse walked by the waiting area and noticed Bosco's foot.   
  
"That needs to be elevated, young man," said the nurse as she pulled another chair over in front of him and, grabbing a pillow off the shelf in the corner, propped his foot up so that it was higher than his heart. "Elevated means higher than your own heart - keeps the blood from staying in your toes."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Bosco said. "I don't suppose I could get some Tylenol or something for the pain?" he asked hopefully. The elderly nurse gave him a look and then looked up and down the hallway.  
  
"We're not supposed to be giving out medications without a doctor's order, but I can get you some from my purse. You wait here," she said, giving him a wink. After a moment, she returned with a bottle of water and some Tylenol. "You're not allergic to anything, are you?" she asked, pulling the hand holding the pills back away from him.  
  
"No ma'am," Bosco replied. She handed him the pills back and watched while he took them. "Thank you," Bosco said, giving her his famous smile. She broke her grumpy look and gave him a smile back and nodded her head. She turned to go and Franklin and Swersky heard her say, "Such a polite young man."  
  
Swersky looked at Franklin and the two started to laugh. "He has that affect on every woman. I can't figure it out," the Lieutenant said.  
  
"Hey, when you got it, you got it," Bosco said proudly as Jennifer walked out of the double doors leading to the operating suites.  
  
"Got what?" she asked, coming in on the tail end of the conversation.  
  
"My charm," Bosco said as Jennifer walked over and, noticing the color of his toes, reached over to feel if they were cold from lack of circulation. At his comment, she pinched his toes rather hard. "OW!" he said, pulling his foot away.   
  
"How's Faith and Kavanaugh?" Bosco asked quickly, sitting up in the chair as Swersky and Franklin came over.  
  
"She's good. I got the bullet out of them both and the orthopedic teams are just checking on them each now. I don't see any fractures or bone involvement with Faith's wound; however, Kavanaugh's got a fracture of his femur and is gonna be with us for a few days. Faith'll be able to go home tomorrow if she feels up to it," Jennifer reported. They all breathed a sigh of relief at the news.  
  
"When can I see her?" Bosco asked.   
  
Jennifer turned to look back through the doors and said, "Looks like they're bringing her to Recovery now. I'll go see if she's awake and come back and let you know. Kavanaugh's gonna be a little while longer," she said to his partner.  
  
Jennifer gave Bosco a wink and walked through the door to see about Faith.  
  
"You better not be jerkin' her around," he heard Franklin say in his ear as he let his gaze fall from the doors.  
  
Bosco looked at Franklin and said simply, "You don't have to worry. I think I'm gonna marry that woman. Nothing wrong with commuting to work from here is there, Lieu?" he asked his boss.  
  
Swersky just smiled. "Where you go on your off-time doesn't have anything to do with me as long as you make it to roll call on time, in complete uniform. Oh wait, I forgot. You can't do that even now when you live right in the City."   
  
"You're a funny guy, Lieu," Bosco quipped as Jennifer came back into the waiting area pushing a wheelchair. She stopped in front of Bosco and motioned for him to get in.  
  
"Uh uh," he said, standing up. "I can walk."  
  
"Get in the chair, Boscorelli. This is the only way you get so see Faith," Jennifer ordered and Bosco knew by the look on her face she wasn't kidding. He shrugged his shoulders and climbed in. She turned him around and pushed him back through the doors. "Be right back," she called over her shoulders.  
  
Franklin and Swersky were left standing in the waiting room looking after them as they went down the hallway.  
  
"Boscorelli seems like an okay guy," Franklin said. "But, you know him better than me. He okay? 'Cause we're all pretty protective of Dr. Tate."  
  
Swersky nodded his head. "He's a little rough around the edges, but he's a good cop and a good man. She'll smooth him out, I think. He's ready," he said. The two of them sat down as Fred came swooping into the waiting area out of breath. The Lieutenant stood up.  
  
"Mr. Yokas. I'm Lieutenant Swersky," he said, extending his hand and shaking Fred's. "Officer Yokas is out of surgery. The bullet was removed and didn't do any damage inside the shoulder joint. She's in Recovery now. Officer Boscorelli just went back to see her. I'll let the nurses know you're here."  
  
Fred let out a deep breath. "Thank God," he said, sitting down as his nerves got the better of him for a moment.  
  
"She saved my partner's life," Franklin said to Fred. "She's a good cop."  
  
"Thanks. I've heard that," he said, giving a faint smile. "How IS your partner?" he asked Franklin.  
  
"He's gonna be okay too. He's took a bullet in the leg that fractured his femur, but he's gonna be okay," the Trooper advised Fred.  
  
"What exactly happened?" Fred asked and Franklin began to explain.  
^*^*^**^*^*^*  
  
"Faith?" Bosco said quietly as he sat next to her bed. He watched as his partner slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room finally finding him in the chair next to her.  
  
"Hey," she said tiredly.  
  
"Hey yourself. You okay?" he asked. Faith nodded.  
  
"Yeah. It's a little sore, but I guess that's to be expected. Everything go okay, Doctor?" Faith asked of Dr. Tate.  
  
"Everything went great, Faith. And it's Jennifer, remember?" Faith nodded as Jennifer continued.  
  
"I took the bullet out. There was no damage to the bone or joint, but you're gonna be sore for a bit. I think you'll be able to work on the range of motion yourself, so you probably will only need a little physical therapy - if at all."  
  
"How's Kavanaugh?" Faith asked, fighting sleep.  
  
"He's gonna be okay. The bullet went into his leg and fractured his femur, but the bone docs are working on that. He'll be fine, but it's gonna take a little longer than you. You can probably go home tomorrow as long as you don't have any complications," she told her.  
  
"Fred," Faith said suddenly.  
  
"I called him. He's on his way. He should be here any time now," Bosco said, putting a hand on Faith's arm. "You sure you're okay, Faith?" he asked again and Jennifer smiled at the concern he showed for his partner. He truly cared about her - that was clearly evident. It went along with everything you've ever heard about partners in the police department. They are a special breed. A nurse poked her head in the room.  
  
"Dr. Tate? Officer Yokas' husband is here," she said.  
  
"Okay. Bring him back and I'll take Officer Boscorelli back out. You're on your way to my place to get into bed and off that leg," she said scoldingly.  
  
"Oooh. I like the sound of that," he said sarcastically. "But, I need to stay here with Faith tonight," he argued.  
  
"No, Bos. Go ahead. Fred's here. I'll be fine. Go let your leg heal up, among other things," she said with a grin.  
  
"You are a bad girl, Faith Yokas," Bosco said with a smile as Jennifer pushed him toward the door. He held up a hand to Jennifer to tell her to stop. "Can I have a minute, please?" he asked her. Jennifer nodded and stepped outside.  
  
"Faith. I just wanted to thank you for coming up here and saving my ass. If it wasn't for you, this would have been an entirely different outcome. I'm just sorry you got shot because of it," he said.  
  
"I'm glad we got here in time, Bos. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost you. You're too good of a friend. So, how're things going with you and the good Doctor?" she asked him and the smile that came across his face said it all.  
  
"I think she's the one, Faith. I really do."  
  
"Good for you, Bos. Good for you," she said as the nurse brought Fred in followed by Jennifer. Fred stopped alongside Bosco for a moment and then rushed over to Faith's side. Bosco watched them for a moment and then Jennifer quietly wheeled him from the room.   
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Bosco and Jennifer wearily dragged themselves into Jennifer's house. They avoided the kitchen totally other than noticing that someone had boarded up the broken windows. "That must have been my neighbor," she said, flipping off the lights as they headed up the stairs. She noticed Bosco's limp and knew he was hurting. She went back to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and his pain medicine then followed him up the stairs. Jordan was going to stay at her Aunt's house until they were able to get the windows repaired and the mess in the kitchen cleaned up. She didn't want her daughter to see her home like this and lose the safe feeling she had here. She'd call her first thing in the morning.  
  
Jennifer walked into the bedroom and saw Bosco sitting on the edge of the bed, not sure if he was welcomed there or not. He just automatically walked up there and then realized that he may be overstepping his bounds.   
  
It had been a long time since she'd had someone to talk to at night while she was getting ready for bed. She missed it and liked it a lot. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of oversized sweats and a t-shirt. She turned and threw them to him.  
  
"Get changed and get into bed. I put a glass of water and one of your pain pills there on the nightstand. Doctor's orders for a good night's sleep without any discomfort. I'll be out in a minute," she said as she grabbed her things and headed for the bathroom to change.  
  
Bosco stood up and stepped in front of her on her way to change. They were inches apart and he said. "You can change here. I don't mind if you don't, Jen." The tension of the night - now morning - seemed to fade away and she found herself in his arms being kissed. She let herself relax and kissed him back and soon it was as if the events of the night had never happened and they were right where they'd left off in front of the fireplace.   
  
They slowly undressed each other, exploring each other all over again as if it was the first time. But the first time had been rushed, filled with sexual tension and urgency. This time was slow as they each wanted to take in the sight of the other and commit each other to memory. When they were both completely undressed, Bosco kissed her and gently walked her backward toward the bed. He lowered her to the bed and followed her, taking in every mark, childhood scar and mole as he kissed up and down the length of her body. He felt her hands on him; moving, exploring and then felt her push him to the bed and begin exploring him. Soon they were both at a feverish pitch and Bosco raised himself up over her. He watched her face as her arousal was almost more than she could bear and he then he took over the edge and joined her.  
  
Now they lay spent in each other's arms with no sound but their slow, even breathing.  
  
"Jen?" he said quietly in the dark.  
  
"Yes, Maurice?" she answered, snuggling up closer to him.  
  
"I think... No, I know, I'm in love with you. Do you think you're ready for that?" he asked her, not sure what he'd do if she said no.  
  
He waited a moment and then realized that he felt her trembling as a tear escaped and fell onto his chest. "Jen? Are you okay?" he asked, moving so that he could see her face.  
  
She shook her head, "Yes, Maurice. I think I'm finally ready and I know that I love you, too." Bosco's eyes got teary as he thought of the life that they could have together. They lay together and fell asleep.   
  
It was 10:00 a.m. when they awoke to the sun streaming in through the skylight above them. They committed themselves to their love again before getting up to begin their life together.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
TBC...  
Epilogue to follow. 


	22. Chapter 22 Epilogue

Arrival Overdue  
  
Chapter 22 - Epilogue  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"You look great," Faith said to Jennifer as she stood in front of the mirror.  
  
"I feel ridiculous. I've already done this part. I wanted something quiet. But, it's Maurice's first, so I wanted it to be special for him. You're sure it's not too over the top?" Jennifer said, nervously fidgeting with her veil.  
  
"I'm positive. You look elegant and Bosco deserves this wedding. He's waited a long time and been through a lot of crap on the way to this. You're good for him. A stabilizing force that he's needed for a long time," Faith said to the woman that she'd become good friends with. Emily had even come up from the City with Bosco a few times on the weekends to babysit Jordan for them. She loved it, because she got to spend the weekend in a different place and got paid on top of it - which certainly helped her shopping excursions.  
  
Bosco had been commuting between Albany and New York City. Some days, when he got out of work later due to an arrest, he would just stay at his apartment in the City. They kept it because they spent time between the two places. Jennifer loved her job at Albany Medical Center and Bosco loved his work with the NYPD. The commute for Bosco wasn't really bad because the times he was driving were not peak traffic times. He usually made pretty good time.  
  
"Yeah, well he's been good for me too. I know it was rough on him with me always waffling because of my guilt feelings of abandoning my memories of Jeff, but he was patient and very supportive," Jennifer said, a smile suddenly coming to her face. "And Jordan just loves him to death," she chuckled.  
  
"Well, kids like kids and isn't that what Bosco is after all - just another big kid?" Faith joked as the others came into the room with their bridesmaids dresses on. Jennifer's sister was the Maid of Honor and came over to the two women.  
  
"Jen, you look beautiful," she told her sister. "But wait, isn't the white lab coat missing?" she teased.  
  
"Very funny, you," Jennifer replied lightly punching her sister in the arm. "Have you seen Jordan lately?" she asked the others  
  
"No. But, I'll go check on her," Faith said, looking out the window as she headed for the door. "Found her," she said and pointed. Jennifer came to the window and looked across the lawn. She stood and watched for a few minutes, a tear forming in her eye.  
  
She watched as Bosco and Jordan walked across the yard to Jordan's favorite tree stump. The tree had come down during a storm and Jennifer hadn't gotten around to getting the stump removed. It turned into Jordan's favorite "thinking" spot and ended up staying.   
  
Bosco and Jordan reached the stump and Jennifer was just about to yell out the window for her not to sit on it and get her dress dirty. Before she could, she watched as Bosco removed the jacket of this tux and laid it on the stump and picked Jordan up and placed her on top of it. Then, he squatted down next to her and they were talking while they looked around the yard.  
  
There was a knock on the door and Faith went to answer it. She opened the door and saw Franklin and Kavanaugh standing outside in their tuxes looking very dapper. "Ty's looking for the Groom. Anyone seen him?" Kavanaugh asked as they caught sight of Jennifer.  
  
Franklin let out a whistle. "Who knew that under those surgical scrubs...." he laughed, leaving the sentence there.  
  
"Very funny. Good thing we got those gray tuxes. Too bad we didn't get the Trooper purple ties and cumberbunds to go with it. Then you'd feel like just another day at work," Jennifer teased back.  
  
"Ouch," Faith said as Franklin displayed a hurt look. "He's out back with Jordan. You guys leaving for the church now?"  
  
"Yeah. It's that time. You really do look great Jennifer," Kavanaugh said and Jennifer gave both of them a hug. "You guys have been great these past few years. I don't know how I would have made it without you," she said, referring to all their support after Jeff died. They'd always been friends as long as Jennifer had known Jeff, but they kept the friendship up even after.  
  
"Thanks. So do you. Can you send Jordan in for me when you get Maurice?" she asked.  
  
"Sure thing. See you in a bit," Kavanaugh said as the two men turned to go. There was just the slightest hint of a limp left from his leg injury. He'd been back on full duty for about six months. Faith had gone back to work about six weeks after her injury with no remaining sign except for the faint scar on her shoulder.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
"So, what're you thinkin' about?" Bosco asked Jordan after he had her settled on the tree stump. He'd found her sitting in the kitchen by herself staring out the window.  
  
The little girl looked up at him. "Oh, I was just thinking about some different things."  
  
"Want to talk about them? I got time. You know how long it takes your Mom to get ready to go out," he said jokingly.  
  
"Just...," she paused. After a moment she continued. "Are you gonna die too?"  
  
"What? No. I mean someday, but not until I'm very old and you can't stand to be around me anymore," he said. "What makes you ask that question?"  
  
"Well, my Dad died when I was really young. I mean, I remember him, but not that well, you know?" Bosco nodded. "Well, I'm just worried that it's going to happen again. I remember Mom being real sad when it happened."  
  
"Well, Jordan. Nothing is for certain, but we can't spend all our time wondering about stuff like that. All I can tell you is that I plan on being around for a really long time. I love you and your Mom very much and I want to be there for you - always. You can come and talk to be about anything, okay?" Bosco told her.  
  
"Okay. You think Mom would mind if I called you Dad?" she asked, shocking Bosco a little.  
  
"I don't know. Why don't you ask her? I know I don't mind a bit," he said, his heart full of happiness on this day. Ty and Sully came around the corner of the house to get Bosco to the church.  
  
"Hey, Bos," Ty called. "Time to head over to the church. You got everything?"  
  
"I think I should be asking you that question, don't you?" Bosco said, referring to the ring that Ty should have in his coat pocket.   
  
"We're good to go," Ty said, tapping his coat pocket.  
  
Bosco turned back to Jordan. "Okay?"  
  
She nodded, "Okay, Dad." She leaned up to give him a kiss.  
  
"Okay, Squirt. I'll see you at the church. You look beautiful," Bosco said, standing up. He helped Jordan off the tree stump and took his coat.  
  
"You Mom wants you inside, Jordan," Ty told her and the little girl skipped toward the house.  
  
"Dad, huh?" Sully said.  
  
"Yeah. Can you believe it?" Bosco said with pride.  
  
"Not two years ago," Sully said, shaking Bosco's hand. "Let's go get this party started, shall we?"  
  
"Yes, let's," Ty added as the three men walked to the front of the house where the limo waited.  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
It had been a beautiful ceremony. Faith cried and Bosco saw it and rolled his eyes at his partner. He looked over to see his mother sobbing in her seat. He looked around the church as they walked out after the wedding and thought how lucky he was to have found this woman and to have all these friends - both new and old.  
  
Now they were at the reception and it was time for the Bride and Groom's first dance. Bosco went to the dance floor and watched his new wife come to join him. It was as if she was the only person in the room. They came together and began to sway to the music, whispering into each other's ear.  
  
"You look beautiful," he told her.  
  
"You look pretty great yourself. Who knew you cleaned up so nicely," she joked. He laughed and kissed her.  
  
"So, I had a little talk with Jordan after you left for the church," she told him.  
  
"Oh?" he said.  
  
"I told her it was okay with me as long as it's okay with you," she said, referring to Jordan calling him Dad.  
  
"It's great with me," he said happily. "Jen, you've made my life complete. This is everything I've been waiting for and more. I love you so much," he said.  
  
"You let me feel alive again. Thank you for that. I love you so much and I can't wait to get started on our life together," she told him. They kissed again - a long, deep kiss - that drew comments from the crowd. They parted as the song ended.  
  
"Oh, one more thing," she said and then leaned in to whisper in his ear.   
  
He pulled away from her with a look of shock on his face. "Really?" he asked her.  
  
She nodded. "Maybe this one will be a boy?"  
  
"I love you so much," he said, pulling her close again as another song began to play and the rest of the wedding party joined them on the dance floor.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The End. 


End file.
